Reading the Goblet of Fire
by neverneverever
Summary: Harry Potter, some friends, some enemies and one boy-who's-supposed-to-be-a-ghost are sent to a room where time stands still so they can read the last four Harry Potter books in order to change the future. New friendships and relationships to explore, pranks galore and surprises in store for the motley group of wizards and witches. Non-canon. my first fic, be kind!
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Welcome! This is my very first fic and i happen to be terrified. I know its really overused but i love this idea so i'm doing my own and hopefully it is unique! I don't have an update day but i will try to update regularly. Its only rated for the swears. It won't be canon and i will just see where the couples want to go before i decide anything. Enjoy and PM if the need grabs you!**

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear i do not own Harry Potter.**

Prologue

Harry Potter landed with a small pop in an empty room, wand still raised from fighting off the dementors. It was large and windowless but, as he turned around slowly he saw that there were a large number of chairs and beanbags gathered around a table in the middle of the room. Another pop echoed and a piece of parchment floated down from the ceiling. Warily, Harry reached out and grabbed the letter, reading it through and turning paler with shock at every sentence. He was so absorbed in the letter that he barely noticed the small series of pops that sounded everywhere but, even he noticed the gasps of surprise as the new arrivals took in their surroundings.

Harry looked up just in time to feel himself being crushed in a death grip. He guessed it was Hermione by the cloud of fuzzy brown hair that obscured his vision. He felt Ron clap a hand to his shoulder and laughed when the red-head ordered Hermione to let him breathe. After reassurances that he was alright (he must still be covered in dirt and rain from the dementors attack) he turned to take in the scene around him.

There were 11 other people in the room aside from the three of them. The Weasley twins were sprawled on one sofa, apparently having landed there and not made it up yet. Neville Longbottom was helping a blonde girl with no shoes to her feet. Harry's turned his eyes to the middle of the room and felt his confusion and surprise melt into delight as he saw his Godfather standing next to his old professor. Both had their wands raised a woman stood in front of them who looked shocked and vaguely familiar. After a second-in which Remus managed to get Sirius calm enough to lower his wand- Harry recognized her with a jolt as Narcissa Malfoy. She was trembling slightly and stared wide-eyed at Sirius. Harry heard movement behind him and was about to turn to check when-

"Ouch, Blaise you sodding git, get off my back!" the muffled cry broke through the tense silence that was building as everyone looked to the corner of the room at what appeared to be a tangle of bodies. The boy-Blaise-snickered and made no move to get up from whoever he was sitting on.

"Oh honestly you two, could you be any more immature?" Pansy Parkinson rose up from the floor with a huff and brushed off her clothes, folding her arms and rolling her eyes at the two on the floor. "Well i'm sure we could if we tried Pans darling, but that requires effort", Blaise answered with a teasing grin. The grin disappeared however as he was shoved onto the floor by the crushed boy beneath him.

Harry turned to look at his best friends, who shared his own look of shock and disbelief at the decidedly non-Slytherin display. The looks only increased when they realized that the crushed boy now rolling his eyes at Blaise's pout as Pansy laughed, was actually Draco Malfoy. There was no more time to ponder this however as it seemed Sirius had spotted him. His Godfather gave a small whoop and charged Harry, crushing him in a hug even more damaging than Hermione's. Harry managed a weak smile over Sirius's shoulder at Professor Lupin before he was bombarded with questions.

"Harry what the hell's going on? You're supposed to be at the Dursley's! Where are we anyway? Harry…what happened? You look terrible! Did you get in a fight? Tell me what happened to you!" Sirius had a hold of his shoulders now and was staring at the dirt and mud that covered his clothes with a panicked expression. Now Harry shot a pleading look at Professor Lupin as he struggled to keep up with the questions, well aware that everyone was now listening. Lupin pulled Sirius back slightly, giving Harry room to answer.

"I don't really know what's going on and I have no clue as to where we are. I would guess we're somewhere in Hogwarts, I don't know anywhere else it could be really. As to what happened to me, well that's kind of hard to explain."

Sirius shot him a Look and raised an eyebrow. "Try."

"Look, all I know is that I was out with my cousin and then I just sort of appeared in this room. There wasn't anyone in here but this note appeared and…well, read it and see for yourself." He handed the note to his old professor, who began to read it out loud.

_Dear Everyone, _

_As much as I regret having to take you away from your lives, it is necessary at the moment. I have an important task for the 14 of you and I believe it will save many lives. Once you have finished reading this letter 4 books will appear. It is vital that you read them so that you can begin to change the future. It sounds ridiculous im sure but you have to trust me when I say that things desperately need to change. I am from the future and I am sending these books back to you one at a time- you cannot leave this room until they are all finished. Everything that you need will be supplied to you and time has been temporarily slowed down outside of here, so much so that no one should notice you have gone. There may be a few notes or items slipped inside the pages to explain certain things, but the books should explain everything in time._

_It will not be easy but I have the utmost faith in you all. You need to put aside your differences and work together although I do understand that there will be times when this proves difficult, I know you can do it. Good luck to you all._

_Signed,_

_Hermione Weasley._

There was silence as Lupin concluded the letter. Everyone was stunned and varying degrees of shock and suspicion shone through on all the faces. Harry noticed that the three Weasleys were looking at Hermione curiously as she blushed, seemingly trying to work out just how she had their last name in the future. There were rather a lot of Weasleys after all. The three Slytherins looked wary and stood clumped together. Neville stood awkwardly next to the blonde girl, whom Harry realized he didn't know, and looked to be frowning at something. When Harry raised an eyebrow in his direction, Neville shrugged before croaking out "14". He blushed as everyone turned to look at him but continued on regardless. "The letter says 14 people, but im only counting 13." Everyone looked a little uneasy at that and Harry remembered the movement behind him before Malfoy had shouted. He turned slowly and almost fainted when a figure stepped out from the shadow by the wall behind him. Not because he was surprised but because this was impossible. Cedric Diggory stood in front of Harry, most definitely not dead and even wearing a sheepish sort of grin as he looked at all the paling people in the room.

"I think you might have miscounted, Longbottom," said Pansy faintly from behind him. Harry could only nod in agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The tension was still high as everyone sat around the table. Hermione sat in the middle of one red sofa flanked by Ron and Fred. George sat at Fred's feet on a blue squashy beanbag. Next to George were two armchairs, which Neville and the blonde girl-Luna, she told them- had curled up in. Harry sat to Neville's left on the sofa opposite Hermione. Sirius and Lupin had squeezed in either side of him and kept shooting him concerned glances. Narcissa sat in the armchair to Sirius, Cedric in the chair next to her, and the three Slytherins had surprised them all by sprawling out on the floor on a heap of cushions and beanbags. Well, Malfoy wasn't sprawling, he was perched on a cushion trying to look dignified even as Blaise chucked a pillow at him.

The atmosphere only seemed to get worse as another pop sounded and a book landed on the table.

Unsurprisingly, it was Hermione who reached for the book first. Ron caught Harry's eye and even with the tension, they both grinned slightly, hurriedly looking away as Hermione scowled at them. Her scowl faded though when she read the title of the book.

"I-it says "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by J.K Rowling" she stuttered slightly and all eyes turned to Harry. Sirius took over the scowling as he interrupted "I thought these books were about the future, why do we have to read about…all the stuff that happened last year?" Harry mentally agreed even as he determinedly avoided Cedric's eye; he really didn't want to have to relive his fourth year any more than he did already, every time he fell asleep. Nobody had an answer for Sirius and no floating parchments seemed to be forthcoming so, everyone turned their attention back to Hermione. Flustered, she turned to the first page and started reading.

"**Chapter one, The Riddle House" **read Hermione. Harry stiffened at the name, and ignored Lupin and Sirius's glances.

**The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it 'the Riddle House', even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there.**

"What does this have to do with Harry?" interrupted George but, he faltered when Hermione glared down at him. "Im sure we'll find out. The first chapter doesn't seem to be in his point of view," She answered. Harry relaxed slightly at that and leaned back into the cushions.

**It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was now damp, derelict and unoccupied. **

There were many wrinkled noses at the description and Draco found himself picturing his manor like that. Not that it would ever happen.

**The little Hangletons all agreed that the old house was 'creepy'. Half a century ago, something strange and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was any more. Every version of the tale however, started in the same place: fifty years before, at daybreak on a fine summer's morning, when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, and a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddle's dead.**

"Riddle is Voldemort's real last name," Harry informed the silence that greeted this paragraph, ignoring the shudders and twitches at the word Voldemort.

**The maid had run screaming down the hall into the village, and roused as many people as she could.**

"**Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!"**

**The police were summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton had seethed with shocked curiosity and ill-disguised excitement.**

Pansy let out a small sound of disgust.

**Nobody wasted their breath pretending to feel very sad about the Riddles, for they had been most unpopular. Elderly Mr and Mrs Riddle had been rich, snobbish and rude, and their grown-up son, Tom, had been even more so.**

The Malfoy's shifted uncomfortably here and Draco was unbelievably thankful that his father hadn't been invited. He would have made things even more awkward.

**All the villagers cared about was the identity of their murderer-plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of natural causes on the same night.**

"That would be quite a coincidence!" the twins said at the same time. The tension lessened some as they had intended, although they were all a little uneasy.

**The Hanged Man, the village pub, did a roaring trade that night; the whole village had turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Riddles' cook arrived dramatically in their midst, and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce had just been arrested.**

'**Frank!' cried several people. 'Never!' Frank Bryce was the Riddles' gardener. He lived alone in a run-down cottage in the Riddle House grounds. Frank had come back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds and loud noises, and had been working for the Riddles ever since. There was a rush to buy the cook drinks and hear more details.**

**"Always thought he was odd," she told the eagerly listening villagers, after her fourth sherry. "Unfriendly, like. I'm sure if I've offered him a cuppa once, I've offered it a hundred times. Never wanted to mix, he didn't."**

"What so that automatically makes him a murderer?" said Sirius roughly.

**"Ah, now," said a woman at the bar, "he had a hard war, Frank. He likes the quiet life. That's no reason to —"**

**"Who else had a key to the back door, then?" barked the cook. "There's been a spare key hanging in the gardener's cottage far back as I can remember! Nobody forced the door last night! No broken windows! All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we was all sleeping…"**

"I suppose it's impossible that someone could have stolen the key is it?" Hermione glared at Sirius, although she could understand why he was so upset, seeing as no-one bothered to check for more substantial evidence before accusing him of murder.

**The villagers exchanged dark looks. "I always thought that he had a nasty look about him, right enough," grunted a man at the bar.**

**"War turned him funny, if you ask me," said the landlord.**

**"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of Frank, didn't I, Dot?" said an excited woman in the corner.**

**"Horrible temper," said Dot, nodding fervently. "I remember when he was a kid…"**

**By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles. But over in the neighbouring town of Great Hangleton, in the dark and dingy police station, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen near the house on the day of the Riddles' deaths had been a teenage boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale. Nobody else in the village had seen any such boy, and the police were quite sure Frank had invented him.**

"So Voldemort killed his family then. I wonder why?" Lupin started thoughtfully

"Oh that's easy professor-"

"He's completely mad is why" stated the twins.

**Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Riddles' bodies came back and changed everything. The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangles, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact (the report continued, in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment), the Riddles all appeared to be in perfect health — apart from the fact that they were all dead.**

**The doctors did note (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies) that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face — but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being frightened to death?**

"I suppose it could have been a magical creature, couldn't it? I mean we, all know it was the avada kedavra, but boggarts or basilisks may have the same effect wouldn't they?" Cedric directed his question at the old professor with a casual air, and Professor Lupin found himself answering in a strained yet undeniably warm tone, that yes he could be right.

**As there was no proof that the Riddles had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go.**

Several people sighed in relief.

**The Riddles were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone's surprise, and amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House.**

**"As far as I'm concerned, he killed them, and I don't care what the police say," said Dot in the Hanged Man. "And if he had any decency, he'd leave here, knowing as how we know he did it." But Frank did not leave. He stayed to tend the garden for the next family who lived in the Riddle House, and then the next — for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because of Frank that the new owners said there was a nasty feeling about the place, which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into disrepair.**

**The wealthy man who owned the Riddle House these days neither lived there nor put it to any use;** **They said in the village that he kept it for "tax reasons," though nobody was very clear what these might be. The wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the gardening, however. Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now, very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering around the flower beds in fine weather, even though the weeds were starting to creep up on him.**

**Weeds were not the only things Frank had to contend with either. Boys from the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the Riddle House. **

"Sounds like something Dudley would do." Harry said with a frown "My cousin" he added when he got a few curious looks. Ron grimaced at him and Harry returned the face.

**They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a dare. They knew that old Frank's devotion to the house and the grounds amounted almost to an obsession, and it amused them to see him limping across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them. Frank, for his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like their parents and grandparents, thought him a murderer.**

**So when Frank awoke one night in August and saw something very odd up at the old house, he merely assumed that the boys had gone one step further in their attempts to punish him.**

"Which means it's someone else in the house and, given the subject, it's quite easy to guess who" Blaise muttered to Draco, who merely nodded and frowned.

**It was Frank's bad leg that woke him; it was paining him worse than ever in his old age. He got up and limped downstairs into the kitchen with the idea of refilling his hot-water bottle to ease the stiffness in his knee. Standing at the sink, filling the kettle, he looked up at the Riddle House and saw lights glimmering in its upper windows. Frank knew at once what was going on. The boys had broken into the house again, and judging by the flickering quality of the light, they had started a fire.**

**Frank had no telephone; in any case, he had deeply mistrusted the police ever since they had taken him in for questioning about the Riddles' deaths.**

"**What's a telephone?" piped up Luna, who had so far been gazing dreamily ahead in silence. George grinned at her and said "I'll tell you when we break, I actually know that one!"**

**He put down the kettle at once, hurried back upstairs as fast as his bad leg would allow, and was soon back in his kitchen, fully dressed and removing a rusty old key from its hook by the door. He picked up his walking stick, which was propped against the wall, and set off into the night.**

**The front door of the Riddle House bore no sign of being forced, nor did any of the windows. Frank limped around to the back of the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took out the old key, put it into the lock, and opened the door noiselessly.**

**He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. Frank had not entered it for many years; nevertheless, although it was very dark, he remembered where the door into the hall was, and he groped his way towards it, his nostrils full of the smell of decay, ears pricked for any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead.**

The atmosphere had gone back to being tense again as everyone waited to see what would happen. They all could guess that it would not be anything good though.

**He reached the hall, which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows on either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs, blessing the dust that lay thick upon the stone, because it muffled the sound of his feet and stick. On the landing, Frank turned right, and saw at once where the intruders were: At the very end of the passage a door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting a long sliver of gold across the black floor. Frank edged closer and closer, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond.**

**The fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. Then he stopped moving and listened intently, for a man's voice spoke within the room; it sounded timid and fearful.**

**"There is a little more in the bottle, My Lord, if you are still hungry."**

"I don't even want to know what he's drinking" surprisingly Neville said as he pulled a face and the Weasleys and Harry grinned at him.

**"Later," said a second voice. This too belonged to a man — but it was strangely high-pitched, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. Something about that voice made the sparse hairs on the back of Frank's neck stand up. "Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail."**

Sirius snarled and Remus let out a very wolf-like growl at the name of their old friend. Most of the room shrank back as the two became noticeably more vicious looking. Harry however, merely frowned as he recognised the scene from his dreams. His dreams hadn't been as detailed though.

Seeing as most of the room was looking confused at the reactions, Hermione decided to explain. She briefly described who Wormtail was and the connection to Sirius and Professor Lupin and Harrys parents. They had already been informed of Sirius's innocence during the confrontation between Narcissa and Sirius. Once she was sure everyone was calmer, Hermione turned back to the book.

**Frank turned his right ear toward the door, the better to hear. There came the clink of a bottle being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse of a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He was wearing a long black cloak, and there was a bald patch at the back of his head. Then he went out of sight again.**

**"Where is Nagini?" said the cold voice.**

"Voldemort's snake" murmured Remus to himself, although they all heard it.

**"I — I don't know, My Lord," said the first voice nervously. "She set out to explore the house, I think…"**

**"You will milk her before we retire, Wormtail," said the second voice. "I will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me greatly."**

"There's your answer Neville-"

"Mouldypants drinks snake-milk!"

There were loud chuckles at the name and Neville smiled tentatively at the twins. Hermione rolled her eyes at the twins "I think he means the venom, not milk." Fred pouted at her and accused her of spoiling their fun, dodging the inevitable smack to the head.

**Brow furrowed, Frank inclined his good ear still closer to the door, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then the man called Wormtail spoke again.**

**"My Lord, may I ask how long we are going to stay here?"**

**"A week," said the cold voice. "Perhaps longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over**."

Sirius started snickering at Remus's embarrassed expression at the mention of the Quidditch World Cup. He would have to dig out the photos once they got back; Remus was bloody hilarious when drunk and considering the victory, he had been pretty damn drunk. It had been an excellent opportunity for some friendly blackmail material.

**Frank inserted a gnarled finger into his ear and rotated it. Owing, no doubt, to a build-up of earwax, he had heard the word "Quidditch," which was not a word at all.**

There was a general cry of outrage at this statement as the Quidditch maniacs defended the sport indignantly.

**"The — the Quidditch World Cup, My Lord?" said Wormtail. (Frank dug his finger still more vigorously into his ear.) "Forgive me, but — I do not understand – why should we wait until the World Cup is over?"**

**"Because, fool, at this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on the watch for signs of unusual activity, checking and double-checking identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles notice anything. So we wait."**

**Frank stopped trying to clear out his ear. He had distinctly heard the words "Ministry of Magic," "wizards," and "Muggles." Plainly, each of these expressions meant something secret, and Frank could think of only two sorts of people who would speak in code: spies and criminals.**

"Wow. That's actually quite clever of him." stated Draco. Harry couldn't help but notice that there was no sneer or underlying malice in his words. Ron however, didn't seem to have made the same observation as Harry. He glared at Draco hard and ranted a little; "Just because they can't do magic doesn't mean they're stupid or inferior! It doesn't give you the right to be-"

"He wasn't saying they were stupid, dear" interrupted Narcissa. Harry startled a little, she had been extremely quiet and hearing her gentle tone confused him for a moment. Ron looked wide-eyed at the elder Malfoy. "I believe what he meant to say was that most Muggles would have completely disregarded all the words they did not recognise as unimportant or stupidity. Frank here, seems to have realised that they do mean something and that something unfortunate is happening here," she finished with a smile.

Ron's ears went red as she finished, although Harry wasn't sure if that was due to embarrassment or the fact that a Mrs Malfoy had called him "dear" and smiled at him. He had a feeling it was both. Ron nodded at Narcissa somewhat sheepishly and turned a pleading gaze to Hermione, practically begging her to read before he had to do something awful, like apologize to Malfoy.

**Frank tightened his hold on his walking stick once more, and listened more closely still.**

**"Your Lordship is still determined, then?" Wormtail said quietly.**

**"Certainly I am determined, Wormtail." There was a note of menace in the cold voice now.**

A small shiver ran around the room.

**A slight pause followed — and the Wormtail spoke, the words tumbling from him in a rush, as though he was forcing himself to say this before he lost his nerve.**

**"It could be done without Harry Potter, My Lord."**

Remus found himself wondering why Peter was risking Voldemort's wrath for this. It was obviously not because he cared about Harry, although maybe he was feeling a little guilty. Remus tried to catch Sirius's eye, but the man was too agitated with the mention of Harry and was staring at the book hard, despite knowing this had already happened.

**Another pause, more protracted, and then —**

**"Without Harry Potter?" breathed the second voice softly. "I see…"**

**"My Lord, I do not say this out of concern for the boy!" said Wormtail, his voice rising squeakily. "The boy is nothing to me, nothing at all!**

Definitely not because he cared about Harry then, Remus thought to himself, as he tried to ignore Sirius's muttered threats. He had had a lot of practice at it after all.

**It is merely that if we were to use another witch or wizard — any wizard — the thing could be done so much more quickly! If you allowed me to leave you for a short while — you know that I can disguise myself most effectively — I could be back here in as little as two days with a suitable person —"**

**"I could use another wizard," said the cold voice softly, "that is true…"**

**"My Lord, it makes sense," said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now. "Laying hands on Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected —" **

**"And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I wonder… perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you, Wormtail? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more than an attempt to desert me?"**

**"My Lord! I — I have no wish to leave you, none at all —"**

The snort of disbelief echoed throughout the room.

**"Do not lie to me!" hissed the second voice. "I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me, feel you shudder when you touch me…"**

This time Remus did catch Sirius's eye and he could read the worry and pain in his friend's eye as easily as Hermione read the chapter.

**"No! My devotion to Your Lordship —"**

**"Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. How am I to survive without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk Nagini?"**

**"But you seem so much stronger, My Lord —"**

"This man is doing an awful lot of lying" There was no response to Luna's dreamy comment.

**"Liar," breathed the second voice. "I am no stronger, and a few days alone would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under your clumsy care. Silence!"**

**Wormtail, who had been sputtering incoherently, fell silent at once. For a few seconds, Frank could hear nothing but the fire crackling. Then the second man spoke once more, in a whisper that was almost a hiss. **

**"I have my reasons for using the boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference. As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail — courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord Voldemort's wrath —" **

Sirius clasped a hand to Harry's shoulder and glared hard at the book. He was fully aware that this had already happened and he was being stupid but, this was only the first chapter and Harry was already in danger. Sirius felt Harry tugging on the hand on his shoulder until they were clasped together on Harry's knee. He grinned at his godson and leant back a bit, shoulders still tense as he caught Remus's eye and tried to relax.

**"My Lord, I must speak!" said Wormtail, panic in his voice now. "All through our journey I have gone over the plan in my head — My Lord, Bertha Jorkin's disappearance will not go unnoticed for long, and if we proceed, if I murder —"**

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the familiar name.

**"If?" whispered the second voice." If? If you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry need never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and without fuss; I only wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition… Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us —"**

Blaise raised an eyebrow at this and propped his head up on one hand, grabbing Pansy's hand with the other to try and calm her a little bit.

**"I am a faithful servant," said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice.**

**"Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfil neither requirement."**

**"I found you," said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now. "I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins."**

**"That is true," said the second man, sounding amused. "A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail — though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?"**

**"I — I thought she might be useful, My Lord —"**

**"Liar," said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever. "However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform…"**

Harry winced a bit at this and saw Malfoy do the same. He was confused for a moment until he remembered that his father probably knew the ritual for bringing back Voldemort.

**"R-really, My Lord? What —?" Wormtail sounded terrified again.**

**"Ah, Wormtail, you don't want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end… but I promise you, you will have the honour of being just as useful as Bertha Jorkins."**

**"You… you…" Wormtail's voice suddenly sounded hoarse, as though his mouth had gone very dry. "You… are going… to kill me too?"**

He deserves it, thought Sirius to himself.

**"Wormtail, Wormtail," said the cold voice silkily, "why would I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the news that she had met you on her holidays. Wizards who are supposed to be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at wayside inns…"**

**Wormtail muttered something so quietly that Frank could not hear it, but it made the second man laugh — an entirely mirthless laugh, cold as his speech.**

**"We could have modified her memory? But Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard, as I proved when I questioned her. It would be an insult to her memory not to use the information I extracted from her, Wormtail."**

**Out in the corridor, Frank suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his walking stick was slippery with sweat. The man with the cold voice had killed a woman. He was talking about it without any kind of remorse — with amusement. He was dangerous — a madman. And he was planning more murders — this boy, Harry Potter, whoever he was — was in danger — Frank knew what he must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the police.**

"Bugger. I'd forgotten he was out there, as stupid as that sounds." Ron bit his lip in worry. He knew what was going to happen to the man, but it didn't make reading about it any easier. And they were only one chapter in…

**He would creep out of the house and head straight for the telephone box in the village… but the cold voice was speaking again, and Frank remained where he was, frozen to the spot, listening with all his might.**

It was pointless, but they all found themselves just praying he would leave. Just leave and forget all about the evil, murdering, little…

**"One more murder… my faithful servant at Hogwarts… Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided. There will be no more argument. But quiet… I think I hear Nagini…"**

**And the second man's voice changed. He started making noises such as Frank had never heard before; he was hissing and spitting without drawing breath. Frank thought he must be having some sort of fit or seizure.**

Harry wondered vaguely if that's what he sounded like when he spoke parseltongue.

**And then Frank heard movement behind him in the dark passageway. He turned to look, and found himself paralyzed with fright. Something was slithering toward him along the dark corridor floor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, he realized with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least twelve feet long.**

**Horrified, transfixed, Frank stared as its undulating body cut a wide, curving track through the thick dust on the floor, coming closer and closer — What was he to do? The only means of escape was into the room where the two men sat plotting murder, yet if he stayed where he was the snake would surely kill him —**

**But before he had made his decision, the snake was level with him, and then, incredibly, miraculously, it was passing; it was following the spitting, hissing noises made by the cold voice beyond the door, and in seconds, the tip of its diamond-patterned tail had vanished through the gap.**

**There was sweat on Frank's forehead now, and the hand on the walking stick was trembling. Inside the room, the cold voice was continuing to hiss, and Frank was visited by a strange idea, an impossible idea… This man could talk to snakes.**

"Not so impossible…" Harry whispered, so softly that only Remus heard him.

**Frank didn't understand what was going on. He wanted more than anything to be back in his bed with his hot-water bottle. The problem was that his legs didn't seem to want to move. As he stood there shaking and trying to master himself, the cold voice switched abruptly to English again.**

**"Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail," it said.**

**"In-indeed, My Lord?" said Wormtail.**

**"Indeed, yes," said the voice, "According to Nagini, there is an old Muggle standing right outside this room, listening to every word we say."**

The silence was grim now as they waited for the inevitable.

**Frank didn't have a chance to hide himself. There were footsteps and then the door of the room was flung wide open.**

**A short, balding man with graying hair, a pointed nose, and small, watery eyes stood before Frank, a mixture of fear and alarm in his face.**

**"Invite him inside, Wormtail. Where are your manners?" The cold voice was coming from the ancient armchair before the fire, but Frank couldn't see the speaker. The snake, on the other hand, was curled up on the rotting hearth rug, like some horrible travesty of a pet dog.**

**Wormtail beckoned Frank into the room. Though still deeply shaken, Frank took a firmer grip on his walking stick and limped over the threshold. The fire was the only source of light in the room; it cast long, spidery shadows upon the walls. Frank stared at the back of the armchair; the man inside it seemed to be even smaller than his servant, for Frank couldn't even see the back of his head.**

"**You really don't want to" Harry whispered again, only Sirius heard him as well this time and clenched his hand harder.**

**"You heard everything, Muggle?" said the cold voice.**

**"What's that you're calling me?" said Frank defiantly, for now that he was inside the room, now that the time had come for some sort of action, he felt braver; it had always been so in the war.**

"I think he would have been a Gryffindor, don't you Forge?"

"I quite agree Gred, definitely brave enough."

**"I am calling you a Muggle," said the voice coolly. "It means that you are not a wizard."**

**"I don't know what you mean by wizard," said Frank, his voice growing steadier. "All I know is I've heard enough to interest the police tonight, I have. You've done murder and you're planning more! And I'll tell you this too," he added, on a sudden inspiration, "my wife knows I'm up here, and if I don't come back —"**

**"You have no wife," said the cold voice, very quietly. "Nobody knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Muggle, for he knows… he always knows…"**

**"Is that right?" said Frank roughly. "Lord, is it? Well, I don't think much of your manners, My Lord. Turn 'round and face me like a man, why don't you?"**

Hermione's voice was shaking slightly as she read Franks brave words out into the silence

**"But I am not a man, Muggle," said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. "I am much, much more than a man. However… why not? I will face you… Wormtail, come turn my chair around."**

**The servant gave a whimper.**

**"You heard me, Wormtail."**

**Slowly, with his face screwed up, as though he would rather have done anything than approach his master and the hearth rug where the snake lay, the small man walked forward and began to turn the chair. The snake lifted its ugly triangular head and hissed slightly as the legs of the chair snagged on its rug.**

**And then the chair was facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream.**

**He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit the floor.**

**Two hundred miles away, the boy called Harry Potter woke with a start.**

Hermione closed the book slowly, marking her place with the note still lying on the table. She remembered the note saying that the room would supply everything they needed. What they needed now was a way to honour the brave man in the book, who died at Lord Voldemort's hand. No sooner had she thought it than 14 flutes of firewhiskey appeared in mid-air and hovered over to each person. They all grasped the glasses firmly and raised them in silent recognition of Frank Bryce.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hermione passed the book over to Ron, who sat beside her. The room was full of quiet chatter and she took the chance to look around at all the occupants. Neville and Luna murmured quietly to each other and George, who had shifted closer to hear them better. Hermione noticed that he kept glancing at Luna and she supressed a smile. Harry was deep in conversation with Sirius and Remus, apparently reassuring them about the last sentence of the chapter. Remus looked thoughtful and Sirius just looked worried. The blonde woman whom Hermione recognised as Narcissa Malfoy had her head turned to Cedric (she avoided looking at him) and seemed to be asking him something. Hermione had to admit that the elder Malfoy hadn't behaved as she had thought they would; none of the Slytherins had really. They seemed to be trying to keep quiet and away from any attention. The trio were still sprawled on the floor, although Malfoy remained sat up while Zabini had pulled Pansy closer to him and started stroking her hair. Perhaps they were together then, it certainly looked like it, Hermione thought.

She was pulled away from her observations by a warm hand on hers. Startled, she looked up to see the bright blue eyes of Fred Weasley looking at her in concern.

"You alright there Mione?" he asked quietly. She nodded at him and smiled a little bit but, he didn't remove his hand and she blushed before turning away. Unfortunately, she found Harry grinning at her and her blush increased as she stuck her tongue out at him. Luckily, Ron cleared his throat and started to read, calling everyone's attention to him.

**Chapter 2, The scar** Ron barely finished speaking before Sirius interrupted him "What about yourscar? Were you there?" Harry shook his head and gestured for Ron to continue.

**Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He had awoken from a vivid dream with his hands pressed over his face. The old scar on his forehead, which was shaped like a bolt of lightning, was burning beneath his fingers as though someone had just pressed a white-hot wire to his skin.**

Harry ignored the looks of surprise and concern he got over this made more gestures at Ron who shook his head and continued to read.

**He sat up, one hand still on his scar, the other reaching out in the darkness for his glasses, which were on the bedside table. He put them on and his bedroom came into clearer focus, lit by a faint, misty orange light that was filtering through the curtains from the street lamp outside the window.**

**Harry ran his fingers over the scar again. It was still painful.**

Narcissa tutted.

**He turned on the lamp beside him, scrambled out of bed, crossed the room, opened his wardrobe and peered into the mirror on the inside of the door.**

"Why don't you go to your Aunt and Uncle?" Sirius asked. No answer.

**A skinny boy**-" much too skinny if you ask me, scoffed Hermione"-**of fourteen looked back at him, his bright green eyes puzzled under his untidy black hair.**

"Since when has it ever been tidy?" Ron grinned. Harry scowled back at him.

**He examined the lightning-bolt scar of his reflection more closely. It looked normal, but it was still stinging. Harry tried to recall what he had been dreaming about before he had awoken. It had seemed so real … there had been two people he knew, and one he didn't … he concentrated hard, frowning, trying to remember …**

**The dim picture of a darkened room came to him … there had been a snake on a hearth-rug … a small man named Peter, nicknamed Wormtail … and a cold, high voice … the voice of Lord Voldemort**. Ron wondered why he hadn't stammered at the name, and why no one flinched.Maybe it had something to do with the room or the future Hermione.

**Harry felt as though an ice cube had slipped down into his stomach at the very thought … **

**He closed his eyes tightly and tried to remember what had Voldemort looked like,**-"Why the hell wouldyou want to?" intoned Blaise**-but it was impossible … and all Harry knew was that at the moment when Voldemort's chair has swung around, and he, Harry, had seen what was sitting in it, he had felt a spasm of horror which had awoken him … or had that been the pain in his scar? **

"It was probably both" mused Remus resignedly, not fond of either option.

**And who had the old man been? For there had definitely been an old man; Harry had watched him fall to the ground. **Sirius grasped Harry's shoulder again as a sign of comfort. **It was all becoming confused; Harry put his face into his hands, blocking out his bedroom, trying to hold on to the picture of that dimly lit room, but it was like trying to keep water in his cupped hands; the details were now trickling away as fast as he tried to hold onto them … Voldemort and Wormtail had been talking about someone they had killed, though Harry could not remember the name … and they had been plotting to kill someone else… **_**him**_** …**

"**Don't know why they've got such an obsession with you Harry"- started Fred solemnly.**

"**Everyone knows you're just a scrawny speccy git!" finished George with a smirk.**

**Harry took his face out of his hands, opened his eyes and stared around his bedroom as though expecting to see something unusual there. As it happened, there were an extra-ordinary number of unusual things in this room. A large wooden trunk stood open at the foot of his bed, revealing a cauldron, broomstick, black robes and assorted spell books. **

"None of this stuff is unusual though!" exclaimed Sirius and Remus rolled his eyes before explaining that it would be unusual to Muggles.

**Rolls of parchment littered that part of his desk that was not taken up by the large, empty cage in which his snowy owl, Hedwig, usually perched. On the floor beside his bed a book lay open; Harry had been reading it before he fell asleep last night. The pictures in this book were all moving. Men in bright orange robes were zooming in and out of sight on broomsticks, throwing a red ball to one another.**

"Ha!" Ron beamed "I knew you'd come around to my team mate!" He broke off and turned slightly red as everyone snickered. "I didn't mean it like that…" he grumbled, turning even redder when Hermione patted his hand in reassurance. Still grumbling, he turned back to the book.

**Harry walked over to the book, picked it up, and watched one of the wizards score a spectacular goal by putting the ball through a fifty-foot-high hoop. Then he snapped the book shut. Even Quidditch — in Harry's opinion, the best sport in the world —couldn't distract him at the moment. He placed Flying with the Cannons on his bedside table, crossed to the window, and drew back the curtains to survey the street below.**

**Privet Drive looked exactly as a respectable suburban street would be expected to look in the early hours of Saturday morning. All the curtains were closed. As far as Harry could see through the darkness, there wasn't a living creature in sight, not even a cat.**

"Sounds like such a lively place Harry" said Fred while George chuckled.

**And yet… and yet… Harry went restlessly back to the bed and sat down on it, running a finger over his scar again. It wasn't the pain that bothered him; Harry was no stranger to pain and injury.**

The three adults narrowed their eyes at the teenager on the sofa who simply grinned back sheepishly.

**He had lost all the bones from his right arm once and had them painfully re-grown in a night.**

Sirius's eyes widened and he spluttered at Harry. He hadn't heard much of Harry's life what with being on the run all of last year. He listened to Harry's explanation of the rogue bludger and some stupid git named Lockhart but, found he had more questions than answers really.

**The same arm had been pierced by a venomous foot-long fang not long afterward.**

There was silence in the room after that, as Harry hadn't even divulged that information to Ron and Hermione, knowing they would worry. Sirius and Remus both looked close to having a heart attack so he just muttered a hasty "Basilisk in my second year, but Fawkes healed me before it got too bad," And glared at Ron until he started reading. He didn't seem to have made much of a difference on the heart-attack front though, and he thought he heard Remus whimper slightly.

**Only last year Harry had fallen fifty feet from an airborne broomstick.**

There was no explanation needed for that one, seeing as Malfoy had told his mother and Sirius had actually caused the accident by attending the match. Harry waved away his guilty expression and just grinned at him.

**He was used to bizarre accidents and injuries; they were unavoidable if you attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had a knack for attracting a lot of trouble.**

"Sounds like someone else I know" Remus sang under his breath with a dark look at Sirius. Sirius just winked at him and Remus felt himself blush as he avoided his gaze. _Stupid Sirius._

**No, the thing that was bothering Harry was the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by… But Voldemort couldn't be here, now… The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible…**

Everyone shuddered a bit at that but; Harry found it oddly funny as he pictured Voldemort waltzing up the drive and getting hit with the sprinklers. He muffled a snigger and was extremely glad no one could read his mind right now. This thought made him pale slightly as he realised…_oh bloody_ _hell_…that's exactly what they were doing as they read this book.

Sirius looked at his Godson in concern as he made a slightly squeaky sound but turned back to the book as Ron carried on reading.

**Harry listened closely to the silence around him. Was he half expecting to hear the creak of a stair or the swish of a cloak? And then he jumped slightly as he heard his cousin Dudley give a tremendous grunting snore from the next room.**

Sirius looked at Harry again when he made another squeaky sound and went extremely pale. Harry waved his concerned expression away with a shaky hand and hoped that the Dursley's weren't mentioned too much in the book, although with my luck, he thought miserably.

**Harry shook himself mentally; he was being stupid. There was no one in the house with him except Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley, and they were plainly still asleep, their dreams untroubled and painless.**

**Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best;**

A few people glanced at Harry.

**it wasn't as though they were ever any help to him awake. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were Harry's only living relatives.**

Sirius and Remus looked at each other uneasily and with sorrow in their eyes.

**They were Muggles who hated and despised magic in any form, which meant that Harry was about as welcome in their house as dry rot.**

"Harry, would you care to explain what that means?" Sirius sounded deceptively calm and Harry decided that the easiest way to deal with that question was to ignore it. He stared at the wall above Hermione's head and pretended no one was looking at him with pity or confusion.

**They had explained away Harry's long absences at Hogwarts over the last three years by telling everyone that he went to St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.**

"What the hell?!" Harry winced as the angry cry echoed slightly but kept his gaze firmly on the wall. It was badly painted, he thought absently. The indignant cries and demands for explanations carried on until Ron raised his voice and continued reading, forcing everyone to be quiet and earning a grateful look from Harry. Blimey, even the Slytherins looked shocked.

**They knew perfectly well that, as an underage wizard, Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, but they were still apt to blame him for anything that went wrong about the house**.

Low growls sounded out from either side of the room and Hermione looked slightly tearful at how they had been mistreating her friend. She and Ron knew a bit about it already, but not to a large extent.

**Harry had never been able to confide in them or tell them anything about his life in the wizarding world. The very idea of going to them when they awoke, and telling them about his scar hurting him, and about his worries about Voldemort, was laughable.**

The looks were still angry but now they mingled with sadness and pity. Draco shifted a little, feeling guilty. He had always assumed that Harry would have a wonderful upbringing, like everyone else seemed to have believed, and therefore hadn't really cared about how much his insults about family would have hurt. Sirius and Remus also looked guilty but, mainly because they hadn't been there for Harry when he needed them to.

**And yet it was because of Voldemort that Harry had come to live with the Dursleys in the first place. **

"Not just Voldemort, it was Dumbledore who placed you there, was it not?" Harry startled slightly at the soft voice from Narcissa but nodded at her anyway, tentatively returning her smile.

**If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would not have had the lightning scar on his forehead. If it hadn't been for Voldemort, Harry would still have had parents…**

The pitying looks increased and Harry had to fight not to glare at them. He hated pity and he really didn't want to hear about this. He didn't think Remus or Sirius did either.

**Harry had been a year old the night that Voldemort — the most powerful Dark wizard for a century, a wizard who had been gaining power steadily for eleven years — arrived at his house and killed his father and mother. **

Sirius made a funny sound in his throat and Harry caught at his hand, linking his other arm through Remus's as he did so.

**Voldemort had then turned his wand on Harry;**

Here Ron's voice faltered, but he shook himself and forced himself to read on. He hated to think about it and he knew it must be a thousand times worse for Harry.

**he had performed the curse that had disposed of many full-grown witches and wizards in his steady rise to power — and, incredibly, it had not worked. Instead of killing the small boy, the curse had rebounded upon Voldemort.**

**Harry had survived with nothing but a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead, and Voldemort had been reduced to something barely alive. His powers gone, his life almost extinguished, Voldemort had fled; the terror in which the secret community of witches and wizards had lived for so long had lifted, Voldemort's followers had disbanded, and Harry Potter had become famous.**

Harry snorted at that and lifted his head from where he had been staring at the table. The room stirred at the sound and the atmosphere cheered slightly. Most of them knew how much Harryhated his fame and even if some didn't, the fact that it was Harry who snorted was enough to clear the depressed air slightly. As he looked around, Harry caught Malfoy's eye and the blonde boy; seemingly realising he'd been staring, turned away quickly with wide eyes. Harry's own eyes were wide as he looked back at Ron and prayed he would carry on reading.

**It had been enough of a shock for Harry to discover, on his eleventh birthday, that he was a wizard; it had been even more disconcerting to find out that everyone in the hidden wizarding world knew his name.**

"Wait a second … Potter, are you telling me you didn't know anything about the wizarding world until you were eleven? Harry tried to ignore Blaise's question and the resounding growl from Remus. He couldn't quite ignore the death threats that Sirius muttered under his breath though and gave the grinning Slytherin a dirty look.

**Harry had arrived at Hogwarts to find that heads turned and whispers followed him wherever he went. But he was used to it now:**

Ron and Hermione snorted at this and Harry scowled at them.

**At the end of this summer, he would be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts, and Harry was already counting the days until he would be back at the castle again. But there was still a fortnight to go before he went back to school. He looked hopelessly around his room again, and his eye paused on the birthday cards his two best friends had sent him at the end of July. What would they say if Harry wrote to them and told them about his scar hurting?**

**At once, Hermione Granger's voice seemed to fill his head, shrill and panicky.**

**"Your scar hurt? Harry, that's really serious… Write to Professor Dumbledore! And I'll go and check Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions… Maybe there's something in there about curse scars…"**

The twins cracked up and everyone else joined in as Hermione glared at an unapologetic Harry.

"What?" asked Harry innocently. Hermione continued to glare at him and Ron but, her lips were twitching.

**Yes that would be Hermione's advice: Go straight to the headmaster of Hogwarts, and in the meantime, consult a book.**

"In my defence Dumbledore probably would know what to do," Hermione quipped.

**Harry stared out of the window at the inky blue-black sky. He doubted very much whether a book could help him now. As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort's; it was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would find his symptoms listed in Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions.**

**As for informing the headmaster, Harry had no idea where Dumbledore went during the summer holidays. He amused himself for a moment, picturing Dumbledore, with his long silver beard, full length wizard's robes, and pointed hat, stretched out on a beach somewhere, rubbing suntan lotion… onto his long crooked nose. **

Ron could barely choke out the paragraph before he began laughing and everyone joined in as Harry blushed bright red and Sirius congratulated him on his "one hell of an imagination."

**Wherever Dumbledore was, though, Harry was sure that Hedwig would be able to find him; Harry's owl had never yet failed to deliver a letter to anyone, even without an address. But what would he write? **

"Your owl is very lovely. I've seen her flying around when I go to visit the Threstrals," Intoned Luna dreamily. Harry beamed at her, slightly puzzled but agreeing all the same.

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Sorry to bother you, but my scar hurt this morning.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Harry Potter.**

**Even inside his head the words sounded stupid.**

Hermione shook her head at him.

**And so he tried to imagine his other best friend, Ron Weasley's, reaction, and in a moment, Ron's red hair and long-nosed, freckled face seemed to swim before Harry, wearing a bemused expression.**

**"Your scar hurt? But… but You-Know-Who can't be near you now, can he? I mean… you'd know, wouldn't you? He'd be trying to do you in again, wouldn't be? I dunno, Harry, maybe curse scars always twinge a bit… I'll ask Dad…"**

More laughter rang out at the description and Ron's indignant "Oi!" Hermione giggled and had to admit that Harry really did have them down to a T.

**Mr. Weasley was a fully qualified wizard who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, but he didn't have any particular expertise in the matter of curses, as far as Harry knew.**

The twins chortled and Ron's ears went red.

**In any case, Harry didn't like the idea of the whole Weasley family knowing that he, Harry, was getting jumpy about a few moments' pain. Mrs. Weasley would fuss worse than Hermione and Fred and George, Ron's sixteen- year-old twin brothers, might think Harry was losing his nerve.**

Said twins grinned wolfishly at Harry but, frowned mentally. They would have to talk to Harry and reassure him that they would help him whenever he needed it. He was basically their brother after all.

**The Weasleys were Harry's favorite family in the world;**

The Weasleys that were present beamed at Harry.

**he was hoping that they might invite him to stay any time now (Ron had mentioned something about the Quidditch World Cup), and he somehow didn't want his visit punctuated with anxious inquiries about his scar.**

**Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like - someone like a parent: an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had had experience with Dark Magic… **

Sirius and Remus looked at each other and then at the teen between them with horrible aches inside them. Sirius pulled Harry into his side and threw and arm around his shoulder in a one-armed hug. He wasn't sure what to say but, surprisingly Neville spoke up and he found he didn't have to say anything.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Harry and you're not the only one who feels like that. Everyone does at some point and now you have people you can turn to. You don't have to feel embarrassed either" Harry turned to Neville and found that he wasn't looking at him with pity, just understanding. He smiled at him then and nodded his thanks. Despite being in just as much shock as everyone else at Neville's wise words, Ron took that as his cue to read.

**And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn't believe it had taken so long – Sirius.**

"There we go! Finally, took you long enough Pronglet" Harry just grinned and shifted closer to Sirius's side, who hadn't moved his arm yet.

**Harry leapt up from the bed, hurried across the room, and sat down at his desk; he pulled a piece of parchment toward him, loaded his eagle-feather quill with ink, wrote Dear Sirius, then paused, wondering how best to phrase his problem, still marvelling at the fact that he hadn't thought of Sirius straight away.** **But then, perhaps it wasn't so surprising - after all, he had only found out that Sirius was his godfather two months ago.**

**There was a simple reason for Sirius's complete absence from Harry's life until then - Sirius had been in Azkaban, the terrifying wizard jail guarded by creatures called Dementors,** **sightless, soul-sucking fiends who had come to search for Sirius at Hogwarts when he had escaped.**

"Stupidest decision ever" announced Pansy, who hated dementors and felt extremely sorry for the ex-convict sat on the sofa.

**Yet Sirius had been innocent - the murders for which he had been convicted had been committed by Wormtail, Voldemort's supporter, whom nearly everybody now believed dead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew otherwise, however; they had come face-to-face with Wormtail only the previous year, though only Professor Dumbledore had believed their story.**

"What am I then?" asked Remus with a mock pout.

"A werewolf," Stated Malfoy, but there was no sneer for once, and he actually looked thoughtful.

Before anyone (Ron) could rant for his statement, he added "Did the note say that you would be safe from your transformations while we are here?"

Remus paled a little before he remembered that time had been slowed down and he relaxed with a sigh, reassuring everyone that it would be safe.

**For one glorious hour, Harry had believed that he was leaving the Dursleys at last, because Sirius had offered him a home once his name had been cleared. But the chance had been snatched away from him - Wormtail had escaped before they could take him to the Ministry of Magic, and Sirius had had to flee for his life. Harry had helped him escape on the back of a hippogriff called Buckbeak, and since then, Sirius had been on the run. **

Harry wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, but he was sure Malfoy whimpered at that sentence. Malfoy glanced over at him and Harry sent him a small smile, not entirely sure why he was trying to comfort his enemy until Malfoy smiled back. Harry unsuccessfully forced back a blush and turned back to Ron, ignoring the amused look Sirius aimed at him. Hopefully the look was for the blush and not for… anything else.

**The home Harry might have had if Wormtail had not escaped had been haunting him all summer. It had been doubly hard to return to the Dursleys knowing that he had so nearly escaped them forever. **

Sirius felt guilt creep up on him once again.

**Nevertheless, Sirius had been of some help to Harry, even if he couldn't be with him. **

Confusion replaced the guilt.

**It was due to Sirius that Harry now had all his school things in his bedroom with him. The Dursleys had never allowed this before; their general wish of keeping Harry as miserable as possible,**

Blinding anger shoved the confusion out of the way. Most of the room looked lividly at the book.

**coupled with their fear of his powers, had led them to lock his school trunk in the cupboard under the stairs every summer prior to this.**

Harry hoped his shudder was small enough that no one noticed, although he thought Remus might have looked at him funny.

**But their attitude had changed since they had found out that Harry had a dangerous murderer for a godfather - for Harry had conveniently forgotten to tell them that Sirius was innocent.**

The anger was still there, but everyone was laughing now. "Definitely the son of a marauder" chortled Remus fondly, not noticing how the twins mouths dropped open at the word.

**Harry had received two letters from Sirius since he had been back at Privet Drive. Both had been delivered, not by owls (as was usual with wizards), but by large, brightly colored tropical birds.**

"You never do things by half do you Padfoot?"

"Never, Moony my friend."

"I suppose I should know this by now shouldn't I?"

"Yes, yes you should."

**Hedwig had not approved of these flashy intruders; she had been most reluctant to allow them to drink from her water tray before flying off again. Harry, on the other hand, had liked them;** **they put him in mind of palm trees and white sand, and he hoped that, wherever Sirius was (Sirius never said, in case the letters were intercepted), **

"Clever, for once cousin." Smiled Narcissa and Sirius grinned hopefully back at her.

**he was enjoying himself.**

**Somehow, Harry found it hard to imaging Dementors surviving for long in bright sunlight, perhaps that was why Sirius had gone South. Sirius's letters, which were now hidden beneath the highly useful loose floorboards under Harry's bed, sounded cheerful, and in both of them he had reminded Harry to call on him if ever Harry needed to. Well, he needed to right now, all right…**

**Harry's lamp seemed to grow dimmer as the cold grey light that precedes sunrise slowly crept into the room. Finally, when the sun had risen, when his bedroom walls had turned gold, and when sounds of movement could be heard from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's room, Harry cleared his desk of crumpled pieces of parchment and reread his finished letter.**

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**Thanks for your last letter. That bird was enormous; it could hardly get through my window. Things are the same as usual here. Dudley's diet isn't going too well. **__**My aunt found him smuggling doughnuts into his room yesterday. They told him they'd have to cut his pocket money if he keeps doing it, so he got really angry and chucked his PlayStation out of the window. That's a sort of computer thing you can play games on. Bit stupid really, now he hasn't even got Mega-Mutilation Part Three to take his mind off things. I'm okay, mainly because the Dursleys are terrified you might turn up and turn them all into bats if I ask you to. **_

"Please Harry; feel free to ask, from what I've heard so far they definitely deserve it!" Harry just smiled slightly and prayed once again that they didn't have to hear much about the Dursleys.

_**A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don't reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?**_

_**I'll send this with Hedwig when she gets back; she's off hunting at the moment. Say hello to Buckbeak for me.**_

_**Harry**_

**Yes, thought Harry, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; he didn't want it to look as though he was too worried.**

Harry ignored the glare currently burning into the side of his head and looked away, only to blush again when he caught Malfoy staring at him. At least those looks were nicer than the ones he was getting from his Godfather, even if they did confuse him.

**He folded up the parchment and laid it aside on his desk, ready for when Hedwig returned. Then he got to his feet, stretched, and opened his wardrobe once more. Without glancing at his reflection he started to get dressed before going down to breakfast.**

Ron closed the book with a sigh and announced the end of the chapter. That one hadn't been as bad as the last one, but it wasn't pleasant by any stretch. He had a feeling they could do with a break soon and apparently Cedric agreed with him. It was still hard to look at the boy after the events of last year and he knew it would only get worse when Cedric actually was in the book.

"Maybe if we read one more chapter and then take a break? It was quite late when we arrived here and im sure everyone's tired." Cedric suggested quietly. He saw Harry flinch as he spoke but couldn't blame him really. He would have to speak to him soon though and try to clear some things up though.

Thankfully Remus agreed with him and moved the book over to Pansy with a flick of his wand. The Slytherin girl sat up, ignoring Blaise's pout and opened the book up, tucking the makeshift bookmark under a nearby cushion and clearing her throat.

**Chapter 3, The Invitation, **she stated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Good afternoon! please enjoy this chapter, i slaved long and hard over this computer whilst the smells of roast dinner teased me from the kitchen :P I really, really want some Yorkshire puddings now! Please read and review and make my day and as always, i shall send you a marshmallow and i will throw in a Yorkshire pudding...possibly. Enjoy! XD**

**Disclaimer: Are these really necessary? If you insist, i suppose i don't really own Harry Potter. Nope, definitely not :P**

**Chapter 4**

**Chapter 3, The Invitation **she stated.

**By the time Harry arrived in the kitchen, the three Dursleys were already seated around the table. None of them looked up as he entered or sat down. Uncle Vernon's large red face was hidden behind the morning's Daily Mail, and Aunt Petunia was cutting a grapefruit into quarters, her lips pursed over her horse-like teeth. **

Sirius looked torn between growling at their behaviour and sniggering with the rest at his Godsons descriptions.

**Dudley looked furious and sulky, and somehow seemed to be taking up even more space than usual. This was saying something, as he always took up an entire side of the square table by himself. **

"That's disgusting" muttered Blaise and Draco nodded in agreement, determined to keep his eyes on the book and not on … well, anything else.

**When Aunt Petunia put a quarter of unsweetened grapefruit onto Dudley's plate with a tremulous "There you are, Diddy darling," Dudley glowered at her.**

The room burst into laughter at the ridiculous nickname.

"Oh that's brilliant!" choked out Fred. George couldn't speak through his laughter. Harry smiled mischievously and looked at the twins.

"That's not the best one, my favourite one's Ickle Diddiekins," he looked at the twins slyly as Ron burst into renewed laughter. "What is it that you call Ron again? Ickle Ronniekins was it?" he asked in an innocent tone that fooled no one.

The twins grimaced at each other and then glared at Harry, who just winked back.

**His life had taken a most unpleasant turn since he had come home for the summer with his end-of-year report. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had managed to find excuses for his bad marks as usual: Aunt Petunia always insisted that Dudley was a very gifted boy whose teachers didn't understand him, while Uncle Vernon maintained that "he didn't want some swotty little nancy boy for a son anyway."**

"Well isn't that just a lovely attitude?" said Sirius sarcastically.

**They also skated over the accusations of bullying in the report - "He's a boisterous little boy, but he wouldn't hurt a fly!" **

"There is no way in hell you can call him little if he takes up half the table" sneered Malfoy. Ron frowned as if he wanted to agree but couldn't quite manage to.

**Aunt Petunia had said tearfully. However, at the bottom of the report there were a few well-chosen comments from the school nurse that not even Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia could explain away.**

**No matter how much Aunt Petunia wailed that Dudley was big-boned, and that his poundage was really puppy fat, and that he was a growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock knickerbockers big enough for him anymore.**

Pansy interrupted herself to give a disgusted snort and grimace, which pretty much summed up everyone's feelings on the matter.

**The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes - so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors - simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.**

Harry noticed that most people looked a bit queasy at that.

**So - after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Harry's bedroom floor, and many tears from Aunt Petunia - the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smeltings school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Dudley's favorite things - fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers and filled instead with fruit and vegetables and the sorts of things that Uncle Vernon called "rabbit food."**

"I take it your uncle is not exactly small either?" questioned Blaise. Harry made a face in agreement and Blaise threw him a quick smile.

**To make Dudley feel better about it all, Aunt Petunia had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too.**

"WHAT?" exploded Hermione, "Oh for goodness sake, those Dursleys are complete idiots! I mean you're definitely skinny enough without a bloody diet! What on earth were they thinking?" Hermione finished ranting with a glare in Harry's direction; as if it was his fault he was so skinny. He opened his mouth to protest this treatment but seemed to think better of it when he caught sight of everyone's rather frantic head-shaking.

**She now passed a grapefruit quarter to Harry. He noticed that it was a lot smaller than Dudley's.**

Hermione's glare intensified, although she transferred it to the book now. Sirius and Remus were communicating silently over Harry's head in mutual worry and anger.

**Aunt Petunia seemed to feel that the best way to keep up Dudley's morale was to make sure that he did, at least, get more to eat than Harry.**

Several people growled and Sirius narrowed his eyes at the book, then at Harry and then back at the book. Narcissa eyed Harry critically and began planning out various nutritious meals for their stay here. He definitely needed them…

**But Aunt Petunia didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea that Harry was not following the diet at all.**

Sirius grinned and clapped Harry on the shoulder and the twins shouted, "Brilliant, fight back Harry!"

**The moment he had got wind of the fact that he was expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Harry had sent Hedwig to his friends with pleas for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently.**

"Of course we did Harry although, if I'd known how bad it was, I would have sent much more," answered Hermione.

**Hedwig had returned from Hermione's house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks. (Hermione's parents were dentists.)**

"What's that?" Malfoy muttered to Blaise but, before Blaise could answer that he didn't know, Hermione piped up, "They're like healers but they specialise in teeth only." She didn't look at them or acknowledge the Slytherins in any way but, Draco nodded to show his appreciation anyway.

**Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a sack full of his own homemade rock cakes. (Harry hadn't touched these; he had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking.) **

"Good call Cub" nodded Remus seriously. He didn't notice Harry's small smile at the name.

**Mrs. Weasley, however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies.**

"Im surprised Errol survived that trip!" said Fred.

"Mum's food is quite heavy" George agreed.

**Poor Errol, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey. And then on Harry's birthday (which the Dursleys had completely ignored)**

The room growled in shock and anger whilst Sirius choked on air. Merlin, he'd known if was bad from the few things the order commented on, Sirius thought, but if he'd known how despicable the Dursleys were, he would have turned them all into toads as soon as he escaped! Harry just avoided everyone's gaze and stared determinedly at the wall. He had a feeling he and the wall would be quite close friends at the end of all this.

**he had received four superb birthday cakes, one each from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Sirius.**

"Well at least your real family remembered" said Luna. Harry blinked a bit before smiling at Luna, thinking just how right she was.

**Harry still had two of them left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when he got back upstairs, he ate his grapefruit without complaint.**

**Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own grapefruit quarter.**

**"Is this it?" he said grumpily to Aunt Petunia.**

**Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry's with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes.**

Cedric narrowed his eyes at the book, along with many others. If that fat git even dared…

**Uncle Vernon gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon.**

**The doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Uncle Vernon's grapefruit.**

"I hope you choke" Malfoy whispered, quiet enough that only Remus heard and looked at him in amusement and puzzlement.

**Harry heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Vernon answering curtly. Then the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall.**

**Aunt Petunia set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle Vernon had got to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back. He looked livid.**

**"You," he barked at Harry. "In the living room. Now."**

"Do they ever use your name?" Hermione asked sadly. Harry thought a bit before shrugging "once or twice I think, they usually just ignore me though" he said matter-of-factly. Hermione looked even sadder at that.

**Bewildered, wondering what on earth he was supposed to have done this time; Harry got up and followed Uncle Vernon out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Vernon closed the door sharply behind both of them.**

**"So," he said, marching over to the fireplace and turning to face Harry as though he were about to pronounce him under arrest. "So"**

"Harry mate, please tell me-"

"-you said so what?" pleaded the twins.

**Harry would have dearly loved to have said, "So what?" but he didn't feel that Uncle Vernon's temper should be tested this early in the morning, especially when it was already under severe strain from lack of food. He therefore settled for looking politely puzzled.**

"Don't bother with politeness Harry just tell him to shove it" Ron told him.

**"This just arrived," said Uncle Vernon. He brandished a piece of purple writing paper at Harry. "A letter. About you." **

**Harry's confusion increased. Who would be writing to Uncle Vernon about him? Who did he know who sent letters by the postman?**

**Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, then looked down at the letter and began to read aloud:**

**Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**

**We have never been introduced, but I am sure you have heard a great deal from Harry about my son Ron.**

"Aah Mum, how naïve and innocent you were back then," said George solemnly, whilst Fred collapsed on top of Hermione, clutching his heart. Everyone laughed at the twins antics and Hermione just rolled her eyes, though her lips twitched a bit.

**As Harry might have told you,**

The Harry in question just snorted and shook his head.

**the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night, and my husband, Arthur, has just managed to get prime tickets through his connections at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. **

**I do hope you will allow us to take Harry to the match, as this really is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity; Britain hasn't hosted the cup for thirty years, and tickets are extremely hard to come by.**

"I bet it was brilliant…" groaned Sirius longingly.

**We would of course be glad to have Harry stay for the remainder of the summer holidays, and to see him safely onto the train back to school.**

**It would be best for Harry to send us your answer as quickly as possible in the normal way, because the Muggle postman has never delivered to our house, and I am not sure he even knows where it is.**

**Hoping to see Harry soon,**

"Not soon enough in my opinion" Harry shared a grin with the three Weasleys in attendance.

**Yours sincerely,**

**Molly Weasley**

**P.S. I do hope we've put enough stamps on.**

**Uncle Vernon finished reading, put his hand back into his breast pocket, and drew out something else.**

**"Look at this," he growled.**

**He held up the envelope in which Mrs. Weasley's letter had come, and Harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of it was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs. Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys' address in minute writing.**

Harry had no such reserves now and started chuckling, along with a surprising amount of people, including Pansy. When she saw the questioning glances she giggled a bit and said "I stole the Muggles studies textbooks of Daphne to read in my spare time, mainly to annoy my parents or just if im bored." Harry saw Hermione's approving look and Ron's disbelieving one and had to chuckle again.

**"She did put enough stamps on, then," said Harry, trying to sound as though Mrs. Weasley's was a mistake anyone could make. His uncle's eyes flashed.**

**"The postman noticed," he said through gritted teeth. "Very interested to know where this letter came from, he was. That's why he rang the doorbell. Seemed to think it was funny."**

"Well you see lard-arse, that's because it was funny." announced Sirius, rolling his eyes at Remus's stern look.

**Harry didn't say anything. Other people might not understand why Uncle Vernon was making a fuss about too many stamps, but Harry had lived with the Dursleys too long not to know how touchy they were about anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Their worst fear was that someone would find out that they were connected (however distantly) with people like Mrs. Weasley. **

The twins growled at the book making Pansy fidget uncomfortably and Blaise glared at them for upsetting his girlfriend.

"We wouldn't want to be connected to you, you great fat…" a timely cough from Harry cut off Ron's snarl before Hermione could lecture him on language.

**Uncle Vernon was still glaring at Harry, who tried to keep his expression neutral. If he didn't do or say anything stupid, he might just be in for the treat of a lifetime.**

**He waited for Uncle Vernon to say something, but he merely continued to glare.**

**Harry decided to break the silence.**

**"So - can I go then?" he asked.**

The tension eased again at Harry's words. The real Harry blushed and mock-pouted at everyone. Draco couldn't help but think how cute that pout was and promptly turned away, ignoring Blaise's curious (nosy) gaze as he focused on the book.

**A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years.**

Pansy was reading faster now. Just because Black wasn't an actual murderer, didn't mean the ex-convict wasn't scary as hell when he was angry. He was glaring at the book in her hands as if he'd quite like to set it on fire with just one look. She had no idea how Potter could just ignore the man like that.

**On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys' for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs Weasley's letter again.**

**"Who is this woman?" he said, staring at the signature with distaste.**

**"You've seen her," said Harry. "She's my friend Ron's mother, she was meeting him off the Hog- off the school train at the end of last term."**

**He had almost said "Hogwarts Express", and that was a sure way to get his uncle's temper up. Nobody ever mentioned the name of Harry's school aloud in the Dursley household.**

"Well that's just ridiculous. Honestly…" Narcissa trailed off but continued to mutter slightly what was sure to be unsavoury comments towards his uncle. Harry wasn't sure how to respond to the woman, he had only met her once and hadn't said a single word.

**Uncle Vernon screwed up his enormous face as though trying to remember something very unpleasant.**

**"Dumpy sort of woman?" he growled finally. "Load of children with red hair?"**

The room filled with growls and threats from all three Weasleys. Hermione and Remus were glaring murderously at the book.

**Harry frowned. He thought it was a bit rich of Uncle Vernon to call anyone "dumpy", when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he'd been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall.**

Pansy stopped here to snort in laughter. Blaise gave her a look and said

"You know, that really isn't ladylike."

"Since when was I a lady? Besides, Draco's more than ladylike enough for the both of us."

"Oi!" Pansy dodged the pillow aimed at her face and started reading again with an innocent, ignoring Draco's glare and the snickers coming from the room.

**Uncle Vernon was perusing the letter again.**

**"Quidditch," he muttered under his breath. "Quidditch - what is this rubbish?"**

Several people choked on non-existent food at that comment but Pansy ploughed on before the Quidditch maniacs could interrupt, something Hermione was grateful for.

**Harry felt a stab of annoyance.**

**"It's a sport," he said shortly. "Played on broom-" **

**Harry saw, with some satisfaction, that his uncle looked vaguely panicky. Apparently his nerves wouldn't stand for the sound of a word "broomsticks" in his living room. He took refuge in perusing the letter again. Harry saw his lips form the words "send us your answer in the normal way." He scowled. **

**"What does she mean, the normal way?" he spat.**

"Now now, didn't anyone ever tell you?"

"Spitting is rude, you great, fat, walrus"

Fred and George grinned at Harry as he spluttered with laughter.

**"Normal for us," said Harry, and before his uncle could stop him, he added, "you know, owl post. That's what's normal for wizards." **

"Good Pronglet, there's the Potter mind," Sirius murmured.

**Uncle Vernon looked as outraged as if Harry had just uttered a disgusting swear word. Shaking with anger, he shot a nervy look through the window, as though expecting to see some of the neighbours with their eyes pressed against the glass.**

**"How many times do I have to tell you not to mention that unnaturalness under my roof?" he hissed, his face now a rich plum colour. **

"He talks like magic is some kind of disease" Hermione said sadly.

**"You stand there, in the clothes Petunia and I have put on your ungrateful back -"**

Sirius swore at the book.

**"Only after Dudley finished with them," said Harry coldly, and indeed, he was dressed in a sweatshirt so large for him that he had had to roll back the sleeves five times so as to be able to use his hands, and which fell past the knees of his extremely baggy jeans.**

Harry tried to ignore the sympathetic looks but, he couldn't help the embarrassed blush that covered his face. He knew he didn't look anywhere close to good in his clothes, but did the book really have to rub it in?

**"I will not be spoken to like that!" said Uncle Vernon, trembling with rage.**

**But Harry wasn't going to stand for this. Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys' stupid rules. He wasn't following Dudley's diet, and he wasn't going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it.**

"What are you going to do?" asked Sirius excitedly, bouncing slightly at the thought of his godson finally telling those idiots to shove it. Preferably with a hex or two included.

**Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, "Okay, I can't see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I've got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know - my godfather."**

Surprised laughter followed that sentence. Sirius was grinning from ear to ear, glad to be helping even though he wasn't actually there.

Pansy looked up and said "Sneaky Potter should've been in Slytherin." Harry winked at her and she blushed, prompting Blaise to glare at him. Everyone was still laughing and not paying attention, so Harry felt brave enough to wink at Blaise as well, who gave a surprised laugh of his own and winked back.

**He had done it, he had said the magic words. Now he watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Vernon's face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream.**

**"You're - you're writing to him, are you?" said Uncle Vernon, in a would-be calm voice - but Harry had seen the pupils of his tiny eyes contract with sudden fear.**

"That's right Dursley, be afraid, be very afraid" this surprisingly came from Remus and Harry guessed it was a marauder joke, due to Sirius's tears of laughter.

**"Well - yeah," said Harry, casually. "It's been a while since he heard from me, and, you know, if he doesn't he might start thinking something's wrong."**

**He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words.**

Sirius grinned at Harry in pride.

Fred wiped away a fake tear.

"Oh Harry, our boy, finally growing up!"

George nodded solemnly

"They grow up so fast."

**He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon's thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn't go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. **

**There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do. Harry could see the conclusion forming in his uncle's mind as though the great mustached face were transparent.**

**Harry tried not to smile, to keep his own face as blank as possible. And then –**

"He really would have made a good Slytherin" murmured Blaise and Draco nodded in agreement. You needed masks in Slytherin or you wouldn't survive.

**"Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy… this stupid… this World Cup thing. You write and tell these - these Weasleys they're to pick you up, mind. I haven't got time to go dropping you off all over the country.**

**And you can spend the rest of the summer there. And you can tell your - your godfather… tell him… tell him you're going."**

**"Okay then," said Harry brightly.**

**He turned and walked toward the living room door, fighting the urge to jump into the air and whoop. He was going… he was going to the Weasleys'; he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup!**

**Outside in the hall he nearly ran into Dudley, who had been lurking behind the door, clearly hoping to overhear Harry being told off. He looked shocked to see the broad grin on Harry's face.**

_I take it they don't see that often,_ Hermione thought to herself. She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud and ruin the happy mood but, she could tell her old Professor was thinking the same thing from the sad look on his face.

**"That was an excellent breakfast, wasn't it?" said Harry. "I feel really full, don't you?"**

**Laughing at the astonished look on Dudley's face, Harry took the stairs three at a time, and hurled himself back into his bedroom.**

**The first thing he saw was that Hedwig was back. She was sitting in her cage, staring at Harry with her enormous amber eyes, and clicking her beak in the way that meant she was annoyed about something.**

Harry chuckled fondly; she was an _extremely_ prideful bird.

**Exactly what was annoying her became apparent almost at once.**

**"OUCH!" said Harry as what appeared to be a small, gray, feathery tennis ball collided with the side of his head.**

Ron groaned and slumped back against the sofa. Harry could hear him muttering under his breath, "stupid owl" and "bloody idiot".

**Harry massaged the spot furiously, looking up to see what had hit him, and saw a minute owl, small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, whizzing excitedly around the room like a loose firework. Harry then realized that the owl had dropped a letter at his feet. Harry bent down, recognized Ron's handwriting, then tore open the envelope. Inside was a hastily scribbled note.**

**Harry - DAD GOT THE TICKETS - Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum's writing to the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don't know how fast Muggle post is. Thought I'd send this with Pig anyway. **

There was a short pause before Pansy ploughed on, deciding that Weasleys were just weird when it came to names.

**Harry stared at the word "Pig," then looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the light fixture on the ceiling. He had never seen anything that looked less like a pig.**

"Its not my fault, blame it all on Ginny!" Ron said hastily as everyone turned amused looks on him.

**Maybe he couldn't read Ron's writing.**

Hermione snorted and said "no one can read Ron's writing, it makes more sense upside down."

**He went back to the letter:**

_**We're coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can't miss the World Cup, only Mum and Dad reckon it's better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come and get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway.**_

Everyone laughed at that and Sirius clapped his hands. "I can't see anything wrong with that plan!" The Weasley brothers grinned and Remus rolled his eyes. "It's better than Harry's plans anyway!" Hermione added sweetly. Ron nodded in agreement while Harry pouted at them.

_**Hermione's arriving this afternoon. Percy's started work - the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Don't mention anything about Abroad while you're here unless you want the pants bored off you. **_

There was a tense moment at the mention of Percy even though half of the room didn't know why, Harry included. Hermione mouthed "Tell you later" in his direction and he nodded slowly, wondering at the hard look on the Weasleys faces. Pansy picked up on the tense atmosphere and decided to read as fast as possible to finish the chapter. Not to mention, she really was quite hungry.

**See you soon –**

**Ron**

**"Calm down!" Harry said as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what Harry could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person.**

**"Come here, I need you to take my answer back!"**

**The owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig's cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though daring it to try and come any closer.**

Luna laughed quietly and Neville grinned. He remembered getting that look from Hedwig when he accidentally poured pumpkin juice all over her wing.

**Harry seized his eagle-feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote:**

**Ron, it's all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o'clock tomorrow. Can't wait.**

**Harry**

They both refer to them as The Muggles, noticed Draco. Obviously these people were a lot worse than they were seeing here.

**He folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl's leg as it hopped on the spot with excitement.**

"It's a miniature Sirius." Remus muttered in Harry's ear. Harry stifled his laughter behind his hand as Sirius looked at them both suspiciously.

**The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it zoomed out of the window and out of sight. Harry turned to Hedwig.**

**"Feeling up to a long journey?" he asked her. Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of a way.**

**"Can you take this to Sirius for me?" he said, picking up his letter. "Hang on… I just want to finish it." He unfolded the parchment and hastily added a postscript.**

**If you want to contact me, I'll be at my friend Ron Weasley's for the rest of the summer. His dad's got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup!**

Sirius would have commented, but Pansy seemed determined to read over everyone. He saw the other two Slytherins amused and slightly warning looks and clamped his mouth shut.

**The letter finished, he tied it to Hedwig's leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to show him how a real post owl should behave. "I'll be at Ron's when you get back, all right?" Harry told her. She nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous wings and soared out of the open window.**

**Harry watched her out of sight, then crawled under his bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. He sat there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through him.**

**He had cake, and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer's day, he would be leaving Privet Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything - even Lord Voldemort.**

"Good" said Sirius, as Pansy closed the book and placed it in Blaise's lap. "You need to stop worrying sometimes." Remus nodded and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Should we eat now or later? We could always finish with Harry leaving the Dursleys and then have a huge meal." Everyone nodded at this suggestion. Remus caught sight of Harrys clothes and murmured a quick scourgify. The clothes cleaned themselves and he answered Harry's grateful look with a raised eyebrow and a "You-will-tell-me-what-happened-Harry-James-Potter" deluxe stare. Harry just grinned sheepishly and turned to Blaise.

Blaise stole Draco's cushion and grinned when the teen yelped and glared at him. Leaning forward, he propped his elbows up on the cushion and began to read.

**Chapter 4: Back to the Burrow, **he intoned in a spooky whisper.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello! thank you to my wonderful reviewers! Just to warn you that i don't really care for flames; if you dislike this kind of plotline/story so much, why exactly are you reading it? i welcome constructive criticism and i love reviews though, so keep them coming! i apologise for the lack of updates, but i took a dive down a large flight of stairs and havent felt up to writing much recently :/ im fine now though, so enjoy! Happy Reading! **

**Warnings: i think there are some rude/angry words in here? not sure...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter *sobs and cries hysterically* **

**Chapter 5**

Chapter 4: Back to the burrow, he intoned in a spooky whisper, which he promptly stopped when Pansy glared at him. The girl was plain scary.

Sirius did a little happy dance in his chair, which looked more like he was having a seizure, but he was too happy to care! Harry was finally leaving the farm full of fat idiots.

**By twelve o'clock the next day, Harry's school trunk was packed with his school things and all his most prized possessions - the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father, the broomstick he had gotten from Sirius, the enchanted map of Hogwarts he had been given by Fred and George Weasley last year.**

"I still can't believe you gave that to Harry and not me," Ron grumbled at the twins but, his complaints were drowned out by Malfoys cry.

"That was you! You with your stupid cloak, I wondered how you did it," Draco yelled, fixing Harry with a surprised and accusing stare.

Harry blushed but raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you are talking about Draco," he said innocently. Draco huffed and turned back to Blaise, who was looking at him curiously. He wasn't sure whether to cross his arms and snap at him or turn pink at the use of his name. Harry always called him Malfoy, he thought. And since when have you called him Harry?

**He had emptied his hiding place under the loose floorboard of all food, double-checked every nook and cranny of his bedroom for forgotten spell books or quills, and taken down the chart on the wall counting down the days to September the first, on which he liked to cross off the days remaining until his return to Hogwarts.**

"I do that" beamed Hermione. Harry grinned back.

**The atmosphere inside number four, Privet Drive was extremely tense.**

**The imminent arrival at their house of an assortment of wizards was making the Dursleys uptight and irritable. Uncle Vernon had looked downright alarmed when Harry informed him that the Weasleys would be arriving at five o'clock the very next day. **

**"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people," he snarled at once. "I've seen the sort of stuff your lot wear. They'd better have the decency to put on normal clothes, that's all."**

**Harry felt a slight sense of foreboding. He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call "normal." Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness.**

There was a slightly uncomfortable moment. Harry opened his mouth to apologise profusely but, the twins just grinned widely and waved their hands dismissively.

**Harry wasn't bothered about what the neighbors would think, but he was anxious about how rude the Dursleys might be to the Weasleys if they turned up looking like their worst idea of wizards.**

"They better not be rude, or I swear I will hex them," muttered Remus under his breath. He knew what it felt like to not have any money and the Weasleys were such a lovely family-they deserved so much more.

**Uncle Vernon had put on his best suit. To some people, this might have looked like a gesture of welcome, but Harry knew it was because Uncle Vernon wanted to look impressive and intimidating.**

Sirius quirked an eyebrow, "I take it, it didn't work?"

"Not in the slightest" chorused the twins cheerily as Ron shook his head.

**Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished.**

"**How exactly is that possible?" asked Hermione in a shocked voice.**

**This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. **

Blaise paused here to look thoughtfully at the redheads in the room. "You know, you're not my favourite group of people but even I admit that you aren't exactly frightening, are you? He asked mildly.

"Mind you," added Pansy, "We've seen Draco in the mornings, so it's quite hard to scare us now." She gave a dramatic shudder and everyone boy in question just pouted and tried valiantly to ignore his so called friends.

**Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully grown wizard with a curly pig's tail poking out of the seat of his trousers,**

The room roared with laughter, even Narcissa joined in. Ron wiped his eyes and turned to Harry. "You know, I'll never forgive Hagrid for the spiders, but I reckon that almost covers it." Harry nodded, still chuckling until Sirius asked, "What spiders?"

Harry and Ron turned pale and Harry hissed at Blaise to keep reading, which he did.

**and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had had to pay for its removal at a private hospital in London. It wasn't altogether surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept running his hand nervously over his backside, and walking sideways from room to room, so as not to present the same target to the enemy. **

**Lunch was an almost silent meal. Dudley didn't even protest at the food (cottage cheese and grated celery).**

"Well that's not a proper meal, goodness no wonder you're so skinny" fretted Narcissa while Sirius stared at Harry as if willing the fat to appear on his body.

**Aunt Petunia wasn't eating anything at all. Her arms were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be chewing her tongue, as though biting back the furious diatribe she longed to throw at Harry.**

**"They'll be driving, of course?" Uncle Vernon barked across the table.**

**"Er," said Harry. He hadn't thought of that. How were the Weasleys going to pick him up?**

**They didn't have a car anymore; the old Ford Anglia they had once owned was currently running wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.**

The adults looked surprised. Neville leaned forward, grinning, "Is this the car from second year? Is it still at Hogwarts?" Ron and Harry nodded, trying to stifle smiles.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at the adults. "It's nothing to be proud of, but these idiots seem to think it was brilliant. They flew Mr Weasleys car to Hogwarts in our second year because someone blocked the barrier. They crashed into the whomping willow and just barely made it out alive."

Sirius and Remus looked close to having a heart attack and Harry glared at his best friend. The Weasley twins narrowed their eyes at Ron.

"You left that part out, baby brother. You just said your wand snapped on impact." They may be the jokesters in the family but, they didn't joke about family safety. Ron looked desperately at Blaise to get him to carry on reading.

**But Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same today?**

**"I think so," said Harry.**

**Uncle Vernon snorted into his moustache. Normally, Uncle Vernon would have asked what car Mr. Weasley drove; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. But Harry doubted whether Uncle Vernon would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari. **

"It's a big car that's really expensive, I suppose you could compare it to the nimbus in broom models," Harry explained as a few people looked confused.

**Harry spent most of the afternoon in his bedroom; he couldn't stand watching Aunt Petunia peer out through the net curtains every few seconds, as though there had been a warning about escaped rhinoceros. **

**Finally at a quarter to five, Harry went back into the living room.**

**Aunt Petunia was compulsively straightening cushions. Uncle Vernon was pretending to read the paper but his tiny eyes were not moving, and Harry was sure he was really listening with all his might for the sound of an approaching car. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom.**

"Oh poor Diddikiens-"

"It's just going to get so much worse when we arrive!"

**Harry couldn't take the tension; he left the room, and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, his eyes on his watch and his heart pumping fast from excitement and nerves.**

"Oh you have nothing to be nervous about dear," cooed Narcissa surprisingly. Harry looked around wildly for help as she smiled at him. Draco seemed to be biting his lip so as not to laugh-he knew what his mum could be like- but, everyone else was snickering behind their hands.

**But five o'clock came and went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head quickly.**

**"They're late!" he snarled at Harry.**

Ron grinned slightly apologetically at Harry.

"Sorry mate but, well you know how it is at our house." The twins nodded in agreement. Harry did indeed know what it was like at the burrow, especially in the mornings, so he didn't particularly mind that they were late.

**"I know," said Harry. "Maybe - er - the traffic's bad or something."**

**Ten past five ... then a quarter past five ... Harry was starting to feel anxious himself now.**

Narcissa looked like she might start cooing again, but Blaise thankfully read on quickly.

**At half past, he heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in terse mutters in the living room.**

**"No consideration at all."**

**"We might have had an engagement."**

Sirius snorted. "Like anyone would want to go anywhere with you lot." Remus nodded firmly.

**"Maybe they think they'll get invited to dinner if they're late."**

Everyone who had ever tasted Molly Weasley's cooking laughed at that.

**"Well, they most certainly won't be," said Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. "They'll take the boy and go, there'll be no hanging around. That's if they're coming at all. Probably mistaken the day. I daresay their kind don't set much on punctuality. Either that or they drive some tin-pot car that's broken d-AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!" **

Remus perked up at the scream, which Blaise delivered in a monotone. He wasn't alone in hating that entire speech, except for Harry who was used to it.

"What happened? What happened!" Sirius was bouncing in the seat now, looking eagerly at Blaise for the answer. Harry couldn't help but see that he looked more like the man from the wedding pictures than the convict on the wanted posters when he smiled.

**Harry jumped up. From the other side of the living-room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. Next moment Dudley came flying into the hall, looking terrified.**

Everyone was looking interested now, leaning in to hear what had happened.

**"What happened?" said Harry. "What's the matter?"**

**But Dudley didn't seem able to speak. Hands still clamped over his buttocks, he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. **

**Harry hurried into the living room. Loud bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys' boarded-up fireplace, which had a fake coal fire plugged in front of it. **

Remus laughed, figuring it out, but the ones that weren't in the know just looked at the book, wondering why the fireplace was boarded up and what a coal fire was.

**"What is it?" gasped Aunt Petunia, who had backed into the wall and was staring, terrified, towards the fire. "What is it, Vernon?" **

"A rampaging rhinoceros," announced Sirius, thinking back to the earlier sentence. Harry grinned at hid godfather, while everyone else just looked concerned for his health. Remus just sighed, exasperated.

**But they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked fireplace. "Ouch! Fred, no - go back, go back, there's been some kind of mistake - tell George not to - OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -"**

"Not a rhinoceros then, but still brilliant! You got stuck in the floo?" The Weasleys nodded and Sirius gave a shout of laughter.

**"Maybe Harry can hear us, Dad - maybe he'll be able to let us out -"**

**There was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire.**

**"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?"**

**The Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of angry wolverines.**

"I find that quite offensive Harry" Remus informed him, but he was smiling so Harry had a feeling he was safe.

**"What is this?" growled Uncle Vernon. "What's going on?"**

**"They - they've tried to get here by Floo powder," said Harry, fighting a mad desire to laugh.**

No one else was bothering and the room was filled with happy laughter.

**"They can travel by fire - only you've blocked the fireplace - hang on -"**

**He approached the fireplace and called through the boards.**

**"Mr Weasley? Can you hear me?"**

"Well if you can hear them, I imagine they can hear you" Hermione said thoughtfully. Ron muttered "know-it-all" under his breath but Hermione heard him and whacked him upside the head as Harry chuckled.

**The hammering stopped. Somebody inside the chimney-piece said, "Shh!"**

**"Mr Weasley, it's Harry ... the fireplace has been blocked up. You won't be able to get through there."**

**"Damn!" said Mr Weasley's voice. "What on earth did they want to block the fireplace for?"**

**"They've got an electric fire," Harry explained.**

**"Really?" said Mr Weasley's voice excitedly. "Ecklectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that ... let's think ... ouch, Ron!"**

The Slytherins were looking at the Weasleys in part-confusion and part-terror. Ron caught their look and somewhat reluctantly explained that their dad was insanely obsessed with all things Muggle. Harry tried to stifle a smile as the Slytherins just looked even more scared.

**Ron's voice now joined the others. "What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?"**

Ron's ears could turn amazing shades of red, Harry mused.

**Oh, no, Ron," came Fred's voice, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."**

**"Yeah, we're having the time of our lives here," said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall.**

Pansy giggled quietly. Really, she thought, if you had to pick a favourite Weasley, then the twins weren't too bad.

**"Boys, boys ..." said Mr Weasley vaguely. "I'm trying to think what to do ... yes ... only way ... stand back, Harry."**

**Harry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, moved forwards.**

**"Wait a moment!" he bellowed at the fire. "What exactly are you going to -?"**

**BANG.**

**The electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outwards, expelling Mr Weasley, Fred, George and Ron in a clod of rubble and loose chippings.**

The room was once again filled with laughter at the thought of the Dursley's destroyed living room.

"I wish I could have seen that" Sirius said weakly through his giggles. Everyone nodded rather emphatically and a small pop echoed through the room. Most drew their wands at the sound but Remus had already seen the white square floating down and stood up to catch it. He took one look and burst into renewed laughter, passing it around so that everyone could see. It was a wizard photo of the explosion in the living room and it took a couple more minutes before everyone was calm enough to read.

**Aunt Petunia shrieked and bell backwards over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her before she hit the floor and gaped, speechless, as the Weasleys, all of whom had bright red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle. **

Fred and George looked at Harry in horror.

"Oh Harrison how you wound us so-"

"We happen to have a total of three freckles-

"That are in extremely different places!"

Harry rolled his eyes as everyone grinned at the Twins antics.

**That's better," panted Mr Weasley, brushing dust from his long green roes and straightening his glasses. "Ah - you must be Harry's aunt and uncle!"**

**Tall, thin and balding, he moved towards Uncle Vernon, his hand outstretched, but Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia. Words utterly failed Uncle Vernon. **

"For once in his life," muttered Harry.

**His best suit was covered in white dust, which had settled in his hair and moustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.**

**"Er - yes - sorry about that," said Mr Weasley, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. "It's all my fault, it just didn't occur to me that we wouldn't be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see - just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces aren't supposed to be connected, strictly speaking - but I've got a useful contact at the Floo Regulation Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, don't worry. I'll light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate." **

"Looking back, I can see why he might not have understood that," pondered Ron, "There was an awful lot of wizard in there."

"That's what she said" sang Blaise cheerily. Pansy rolled her eyes and hit him on the head, ignoring the wounded look he threw at her.

**Harry was ready to bet that Uncle Vernon hadn't understood a single word of this. They were still gaping at Mr Weasley, thunderstruck. Aunt Petunia staggered upright again, and hid behind Uncle Vernon.**

They all rolled their eyes.

**"Hello, Harry!" said Mr Weasley brightly. "Got your trunk ready?"**

**"It's upstairs," said Harry grinning back.**

**"We'll get it," said Fred at once. Winking at Harry, he and George left the room.**

**They knew where Harry's bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night.**

Sirius appeared to be choking again, although Harry was sure he hadn't been eating. Perhaps he's hyperventilating, he thought idly, patting Sirius on the back. Remus narrowed his eyes at Harry suspiciously.

"What does it mean rescued?" asked Neville worriedly. A lot of people were looking at him in concern and Harry didn't like it so he just gestured to Blaise to read on/ Sirius had stopped choking and started growling, locking eyes with Remus and silently agreeing that they would talk to Harry after.

Cedric was looking at Harry with concern. Like most wizards, he had been brought up with stories of the boy-who-lived and everyone assumed he would be somewhere safe and full of love and affection and everything he could ever want. What kind of childhood had he actually had, if he had to be rescued in the dead of night from his house?

**Harry suspected that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry. **

**"Well," said Mr Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, while he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. "Very - erm - very nice place you've got here."**

The tension hadn't quite dissipated yet, but a few people cracked smiles at that and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

**As the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didn't go down too well with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon's face purpled once more, and Aunt Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything.**

"Yes well Ron can be quite terrifying I suppose, can't he George?" Fred asked solemnly. George nodded "Indeed Fred, especially when starts singing, he sounds like a banshee."

"I thought that was Percy?" asked Harry. Although the Weasleys faces got a little bit darker at the name, Fred still grinned and nodded his head in agreement.

**Mr Weasley was looking around. He loved everything to do with Muggles. Harry could see him itching to go and examine the television and video recorder.**

**"They run off eckeltricity, do they?" he said knowledgeably. "Ah, yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs," he added to Uncle Vernon. "And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I'm mad, but there you are." **

Hermione giggled while everyone looked alarmed. She found Mr Weasley more endearing than mad.

**Uncle Vernon clearly thought Mr Weasley was mad, too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Petunia from view, as though he thought Mr Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack.**

**Harry could have sworn he heard Ron mutter something along the lines of "Dad would just bounce off," And grinned at the image. **

**Dudley suddenly reappeared in the room. Harry could hear the clunk of his trunk of the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his mother and father.**

**Uncle Vernon's bulk, while sufficient to hide Aunt Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.**

"You would need several houses to conceal him," said Pansy disgustedly with a toss of her hair.

**"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?" said Mr Weasley, taking another brave stab at conversation.**

**"Yep," said Harry, "that's Dudley." He and Ron exchanged glances then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming.**

The two grinned at each other now while Hermione hid a fond smile.

**Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though afraid it might fall off. Mr Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudley's peculiar behaviour. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.**

"That's because Arthur is actually a decent human being," said Remus.

**"Having a good holiday, Dudley?" he said kindly. Dudley whimpered. Harry saw his hands tighten still harder over his massive backside. **

Luna was giggling now. Muggles could be quite funny sometimes.

**Fred and George came back into the room, carrying Harry's school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical, evil grins. **

The twins did the same thing now and everyone shifted back just a smidge.

**"Ah, right," said Mr Weasley. "Better get cracking, then."**

**He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and took out his wand. Harry saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one.**

**"Incendio!" said Mr Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.**

**Flame rose at once in the fireplace, crackling merrily as though they had been burning for hours. Mr Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his pocket, untied it, took a pinch of the powder inside and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher then ever.**

**"Off you go then, Fred," said Mr Weasley.**

**"Coming," said Fred. "Oh no - hang on -"**

The two marauders leaned forward eagerly. They hadn't heard much about events before the world cup and this definitely sounded like it would be fun.

**A bag of sweets had spilled out of Fred's pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction - big, fat toffees in brightly coloured wrappers.**

Several people frowned in disappointment but, Sirius and Remus still looked eager. There was no way those were normal toffees.

**Fred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a cheery wave, stepped forward and walked right into the fire, saying, "The Burrow!" Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering gasp. **

Sirius scoffed. "Drama queen! She must have seen Lily floo hundreds of times to get to Alice's house. Not that she was supposed to," added Sirius thoughtfully. Both Neville and Harry had perked up at their mothers names.

**There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished.**

**"Right then, George," said Mr Weasley, "you and the trunk."**

**Harry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames, and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better.**

**Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried, "The Burrow!" and vanished too.**

**"Ron, you next," said Mr Weasley.**

**"See you," said Ron brightly to the Dursleys.**

Harry laughed. "I think that freaked them out more than blowing up the living room." Ron grinned proudly.

**He grinned broadly at Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted, "The Burrow!" and disappeared. Now Harry and Mr Weasley alone remained.**

**"Well...bye then," Harry said to the Dursleys.**

**They didn't say anything at all.**

"Are you joking?" asked Sirius in dismay. Harry looked confused. "You know, it doesn't matter, it's not important or anything." Sirius just looked at him, while everyone stayed in a sort of sad silence.

**Harry moved towards the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement.**

**"Harry said goodbye to you," he said. "Didn't you hear him?"**

Sirius nodded furiously. "Good, Arthur you tell them."

**"It doesn't matter," Harry muttered to Mr Weasley. "Honestly, I don't care."**

Hermione and Ron exchanged sad glances, upset that their friend had such a horrible home life. Sirius was still looking dismayed.

**Mr Weasley did not remove his hand from Harry's shoulder.**

**"You aren't going to see your nephew 'til next summer," he said to Uncle Vernon in mild indignation. "Surely you are going to say goodbye?" **

The twins looked at each other darkly. Now they definitely weren't sorry for what they did, no matter how dangerous it could have been. It was just a shame they hadn't gotten Harry's Uncle too.

**Uncle Vernon's face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living-room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. **

**But Mr Weasley's wand was still in his hand, and Uncle Vernon's tiny eyes darted to it at once, before he said, very resentfully, "Goodbye, then." **

"Oh yes because it's such a hardship to say goodbye to your nephew. I bloody well hope it gives you intense suffering you complete twat!" Hermione looked as if she might explode all over the walls.

"There's no way Dad would have hexed him. He loves Muggles, even the rotten ones like The Dursleys." Ron added onto the end of Hermione's rant, which had frightened half the room into stunned silence.

"See you," said Harry, putting one foot forward into the green flames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind him, and Aunt Petunia started to scream.

"What happened?" Sirius asked excitedly. He was really hoping it was whatever the twins left behind; half a summer with those two at Grimmauld place had convinced him that they were Marauder-worthy.

"If you wait just one second you might find out Padfoot," Remus teased him.

**Harry wheeled around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the coffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth.**

One bewildered second later, Harry realized that the foot-long thing was Dudley's tongue - and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him.

The twins stood up and bowed dramatically amidst all the laughter. Even Narcissa had to admit that it was a brilliant prank and she was highly disapproving of pranks. Sirius could barely breathe for laughing.

Aunt Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his swollen tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth;

"I don't think that's going to help somehow," drawled Draco, smiling at Blaise who could barely stop laughing long enough to read.

**unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Uncle Vernon was bellowing and waving his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.**

**"Not to worry, I can sort him out!" he yelled, advancing on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley.**

**"No, really!" said Mr. Weasley desperately. "It's a simple process it was the toffee - my son Fred - real practical joker - but it's only an Engorgement Charm - at least, I think it is - please, I can correct it -" **

Fred tapped his nose when everyone turned to him in question. "A true prankster never reveals his secrets," he stated loudly.

**But far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic- stricken; Aunt Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudley's tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocating under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Uncle Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china figure from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the ornament to shatter in the blasted fireplace. **

The Weasleys in the room looked furious. Everyone was looking at the book in disgust; how could a family be that pathetic? Sirius was looking suspiciously from the book to Harry. If they treated Mr Weasley like that, how badly did they treat their nephew?

**"Now really!" said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. "I'm trying to help!"**

**Bellowing like a wounded hippo, Uncle Vernon snatched up another ornament.**

**"Harry, go! Just go!" Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Uncle Vernon. "I'll sort this out!" **

**Harry didn't want to miss the fun, but Uncle Vernon's second ornament narrowly missed his left ear, and on balance he thought it best to leave the situation to Mr. Weasley. **

Harry could see Sirius hesitating, as if he didn't know whether to tell Harry to stay and have a laugh or get out before he was hurt.

**He stepped into the fire, looking over his shoulder as he said "the Burrow!" His last fleeting glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Uncle Vernon's hand with his wand, Aunt Petunia screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudley's tongue lolling around like a great slimy python. But next moment Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys' living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames. **

"You're free Harry!" whooped Ron happily. Harry shook his head in amusement and watched as Remus summoned the book to him and placed it on the table, leaving Blaise staring at his hands. There were more popping sounds and plates and bowls full of food appeared along the table, which stretched to accommodate everyone. People were standing up and stretching, Neville doing a weird hopping dance to get rid of pins and needles. Harry just grabbed a bowl of treacle tart and leaned back against the cushions, not looking forward to the talks he had to have with his godfather and old professor. For now he was content enough to just eat and talk with his friends and family.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Okay, I am incredibly sorry for leaving it this long and i am even more sorry that this is only a teeny chapter to fill the gap. I shall update the next one soon, and i mean soon this time! Please enjoy and don't send a howler :) **

**Disclaimer: Me no owney :) i do not own :) nope :) nada :) imma stop :)**

**No warnings necessary here!**

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**Chapter 6**

Harry could all but feel his brain melting from the force of Sirius's stare. He had finished his treacle tart and was now watching as Ron and Malfoy argued furiously with each other. Well, he was trying to anyway, but as previously mentioned, his brain was being melted. This was a shame really because his school enemy and his best friend were turning lovely shades of red. Hermione was too busy talking to the twins and Neville to break up the fight, but Mrs Malfoy looked as if she might step in any moment so, sighing, Harry turned to Sirius.

"Harry. I want to talk to you." A slight cough from Harry's other side made Sirius roll his eyes and Harry grin. "Yes and Remus too! Shall we go in one of the other rooms?" At Harry's confused look, Sirius closed his eyes and a pop sounded close to them, though not loud enough to be heard by the others, who were now all bickering with each other. A door had appeared in one of the walls and Sirius, looking immensely pleased with himself, stood up and began dragging Harry along by his arm.

Inside were three cosy armchairs, much like the ones in the Gryffindor common room. They all sat. Just as the silence started becoming uncomfortable, Sirius sighed explosively and fixed Harry with a keen stare. "So Harry, those were an interesting few chapters, weren't they?" Harry just fidgeted. "Harry?"

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say! If it's the Dursleys that's bothering you then you don't have to worry, they never did anything too horrible and we mainly just stay out of-"

Sirius stood up a look of disbelief and anger etched into his face. "Harry! They were complete gits for those chapters and I'm willing to bet they've been and done worse to you. I want to know exactly what they have done and exactly how they've treated you for the last 14 years." While Sirius continued to rant, Harry took a moment to look at Remus. His old professor looked tired and his hair was lined with more grey than it had previously. Remus raised an eyebrow at him and jerked a head in Sirius's direction, making Harry giggle. The noise stopped the rant and Sirius sat down heavily, sighing again.

Remus leaned forward, "Harry, I understand there is a lot you probably don't want to talk about and judging by what we've read im going to guess the Dursleys is one of them?" Harry nodded.

"It's not that I don't want to talk about them and it's not like I don't get that what they did was wrong, it's just that I don't see the point in bringing it all up. I only have a couple more summers with them and then I can leave. I hate it there and I wish I wasn't so left out from the Wizarding world when I am there, but what they did to me isn't important." Harry wasn't sure if he'd properly explained himself there, seeing as Sirius looked like he might explode and Remus looked sad and concerned.

"The books will tell you everything anyway, so there's no point in worrying." He added quickly, to forestall another lecture. He breathed a sigh of relief when his godfather nodded reluctantly and moved to get up.

Back in the main room, chaos was raging. Harry, Remus and Sirius all stared dumbfounded at the scene that met them. Malfoy, Pansy and Blaise stood on one side, facing Ron, Hermione and the twins. Each group were yelling and screaming at the other, Ron and Malfoy the most, although Blaise looked more like he was trying not to laugh. Neville was lying unconscious on the floor, with Mrs Malfoy casting spells over him and Luna humming cheerfully beside him. Cedric stood off to the side, hands full of wands that he had presumably summoned from the seven in the middle.

Angrily, Harry grabbed the wand sticking out of Sirius's pocket and sent it slashing through the air. A large BANG sounded and sparks exploded like one of Filibusters fireworks. The room fell silent and all the occupants turned to stare. Sheepishly, Harry returned the wand back to an astounded Sirius, who was looking at him in confusion and amazement. It was Remus that addressed the now-quiet room. "Would someone like to explain exactly what happened?" A groan from the floor announced that Neville was awake and Harry strolled over to help him stand.

Narcissa stood and glared furiously at the teenagers, who in her opinion acted more like toddlers, and waved her wand at them. Each one zoomed unceremoniously to their seat, landing with a huff and looking thoroughly bewildered. She had to hold back a snicker when she saw how Draco landed cross-legged on a cushion and completely unsurprised. Her son sent her a resigned and vaguely amused look and she doubled her efforts to keep from laughing; Draco was more than familiar with that spell.

Turning to the werewolf, Narcissa began to explain how Draco and Ronald had started bickering, quite childishly, and had then been joined by each of their friends, all determined to back each other up. She had been about to step in when someone-here she stopped and glared at Ronald-sent a stunning spell, which rebounded off the wall and hit Neville. She had hurried over to help him whilst Cedric summoned all the wands.

Upon finishing her explanation, she stormed regally over to her chair and waited for everyone to get settled before levitating the book from the coffee table to Draco. "Now that all this silliness has abated, may we please continue reading? I would quite like to hear what happens next. Rest assured we will deal with you all later and I want no more arguments from now on in, is that clear?" she spoke softly, which her son had assured her was one of her scariest tones, and was satisfied when no one remarked.

Draco hid a grin at his mothers' smug expression and hurriedly tried to find the right page, because his idiot best friend couldn't even bookmark it. Clearing his throat, he prided himself on being able to read the first word without sneering.

"**Weasley's Wizard Wheezes**"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize most profusely for the long wait, and i hope this chapter makes up for it! i'm not promising a quick update because i have GCSE's but it's summer soon so i'll try and write when i can :) You guys are brilliant and i really appreciate all the followers and reviews and favourites! i'm hoping for at least five more reviews before i post another chapter, but THANK YOU FOR READING! Much love :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. **

**Warnings: ummm, none i think? except for blushing :) and extremely minor swears? :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7**

"**Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" **

He didn't even get to finish the chapter title before he was interrupted by the twins, who cheered loudly and clapped their hands, unable to send up sparks because Cedric still had their wands. He rolled his eyes and spoke loudly over the top of them.

**Harry spun faster and faster, elbows tucked tightly to his sides, blurred fireplaces flashing past him, until he started to feel sick and closed his eyes. Then, when at last he felt himself slowing down, he threw out his hands and came to a halt in time to prevent himself from falling face forward out of the Weasleys' kitchen fire. **

"How many times have you done that, mate?" Draco glanced up in time to see Harry throw the Weasel a dark look.

**"Did he eat it?" said Fred excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Harry to his feet.**

"Im going to say yes on that one."

**"Yeah," said Harry, straightening up. "What was it?"**

**"Ton-Tongue Toffee," said Fred brightly. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer…" **

"I'm not saying it wasn't brilliant or that Dudley didn't deserve it, but it was a bit dangerous." Hermione said sternly to Fred. Fred adopted a wounded look which barely fazed Hermione; she just rolled her eyes and looked at Draco.

**The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter; Harry looked around and saw that Ron and George were sitting at the scrubbed wooden table with two red-haired people Harry had never seen before, though he knew immediately who they must be: Bill and Charlie, the two eldest Weasley brothers.**

"Oh God there's more of them," Pansy sniffed, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. Draco sent her a proud grin while the Gryffindors growled.

**"How're you doing, Harry?" said the nearer of the two, grinning at him and holding out a large hand, which Harry shook, feeling calluses and blisters under his fingers. This had to be Charlie, who worked with dragons in Romania. Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. He had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscular, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it. **

Hermione let out a tiny sigh and Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" she asked, turning pink and averting her eyes. Unfortunately they fell on the twins, who were staring lovingly at Hermione and faking huge dreamy sighs. She scowled and glared at Malfoy until he sneered and started reading.

**Bill got to his feet, smiling, and also shook Harry's hand. Bill came as something of a surprise. Harry knew that he worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, and that Bill had been Head Boy at Hogwarts; Harry had always imagined Bill to be an older version of Percy: fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around. **

The Weasleys in the room snorted. "No way. Bill's nothing like that" Said Fred.

"Honestly, Harry where do you get these ideas?" teased George. Harry just rolled his eyes.

**However, Bill was - there was no other word for it - cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it.**

Draco paused for a minute and looked thoughtful; he had wanted an earring for a while now. One glance at his mother told him that wouldn't be happening anytime soon, so he coughed hurriedly and continued reading.

**Bill's clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that Harry recognized his boots to be made, not of leather, but of dragon hide. **

"You notice a lot of things don't you Harry?" Luna gazed at Harry with a very glazed look in her eye and Harry wasn't sure what to say, so he just smiled and nodded. Despite her strangeness, Harry was beginning to like this girl.

Hermione finished explaining the concept of a rock concert to the confused purebloods, who recognised it as similar to a wizard one.

**Before any of them could say anything else, there was a faint popping noise, and Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air at George's shoulder. He was looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him. **

Remus and Sirius exchanged surprised looks, they hadn't really seen Mr Weasley angry before; it was usually Molly impersonating a foghorn.

"How bad was it?" asked Sirius curiously, unable to hide a grin. The Weasleys just shrugged and looked at each other; it hadn't been that bad until their mother had arrived.

**"That wasn't funny Fred!" he shouted. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"**

**"I didn't give him anything," said Fred, with another evil grin. "I just dropped it… It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to." **

"While that is a good point, I think you knew exactly what would happen." Remus stated mildly, not looking upset in the least.

**"You dropped it on purpose!" roared Mr. Weasley. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet -"**

**"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.**

**"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" **

The room filled with laughter again, thoroughly enjoying the twins prank. Hermione looked a bit disapproving still, but it was tempered by the smile on her lips.

**Harry and the Weasleys roared with laughter again.**

**"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons-"**

"But that's not why you did it! You did it because Dudley's a…" Sirius struggled for a moment to think of a word bad enough, then just gave up and slumped back in his chair.

**"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!" said Fred indignantly.**

**"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git," said George. "Isn't he, Harry?"**

**"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley," said Harry earnestly.**

The people in the room chuckled, but the sound was oddly strained.

**"That's not the point!" raged Mr. Weasley. "You wait until I tell your mother -"**

**"Tell me what?" said a voice behind them. Mrs. Weasley had just entered the kitchen. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were presently narrowed with suspicion. **

"That doesn't sound too scary." Said Pansy, frowning at the pale colour of the Weasleys and the way they all grimaced.

**"Oh hello, Harry, dear," she said, spotting him and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. "Tell me what, Arthur?"**

**Mr. Weasley hesitated. Harry could tell that, however angry he was with Fred and George, he hadn't really intended to tell Mrs. Weasley what had happened. **

"Well of course not," scoffed Fred.

"Dad likes his sons alive and able to hear." George added, thinking of his Mother's loving tones.

**There was a silence, while Mr. Weasley eyed his wife nervously. Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs. Weasley. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was Harry's and Ron's friend, Hermione Granger. **

Hermione glared at Harry, who looked at her pleadingly, mouthing apologies over Pansy's snickers.

**The other, who was small and red-haired, was Ron's younger sister, Ginny. **

**Both of them smiled at Harry, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet - she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to the Burrow.**

Harry winced and pointedly avoided everyone's eyes. He focused instead on the book, which had the added bonus of making Malfoy fidget uncomfortably.

**"Tell me what, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.**

**"It's nothing, Molly," mumbled Mr. Weasley, "Fred and George just - but I've had words with them -"**

**"What have they done this time?" said Mrs. Weasley. "If it's got anything to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes -"**

**"Why don't you show Harry where he's sleeping, Ron?" said Hermione from the doorway.**

"Good idea Mione" said Harry, still not looking away from the book, where Malfoy was beginning to feel frustrated. Did he have something on his face?

**"He knows where he's sleeping," said Ron, "in my room, he slept there last -" **

Sirius snorted. "Not quick on the uptake there, are you mate?" Ron frowned sulkily.

**"We can all go," said Hermione pointedly.**

**"Oh," said Ron, cottoning on. "Right."**

**"Yeah, we'll come too," said George.**

"I can't believe you thought that would work" Neville smiled.

Malfoy looked around desperately; searching for some way to cease Potter's endless staring. Harry was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

**"You stay where you are!" snarled Mrs. Weasley.**

**Harry and Ron edged out of the kitchen, and they, Hermione, and Ginny set off along the narrow hallway and up the rickety staircase that zigzagged through the house to the upper stories.**

**"What are Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked as they climbed. **

"These aren't the things that take up half of Filch's banned list are they?" Pansy eyed the twins warily as they beamed identical grins and the Slytherins and Cedric made mental notes to never accept anything from those two.

**Ron and Ginny both laughed, although Hermione didn't. **

Malfoy growled and Harry stifled a laugh with great difficulty. He was now staring at Malfoy's hair, which should have come with some kind of label, warning people away in case they went blind. The people in the room looked a bit confused at Draco's growl but forgot about it once he started reading again.

**"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room," said Ron quietly. "Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that…" **

The twins puffed up a little bit at Ron's praise and sent winks at their younger brother, who wasn't paying attention.

**"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things," said Ginny. "We thought they just liked the noise." **

"Ah, I remember when we used to do that!" Sirius grinned.

Remus looked amused, "What, when we used to steal James's socks and glasses and throw them in a cauldron full of erumpent potion?"

"I don't see why Minnie made such a fuss, it was only a little fire and we fixed the roof right away!"

**"Only, most of the stuff - well, all of it, really - was a bit dangerous," said Ron, **

"No wonder Sirius thinks it's all brilliant," Remus murmured under his breath to Harry, before noticing that the boy's attention was fixed elsewhere. Apparently Draco had very interesting hair, Remus thought to himself.

**"and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make some money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms… She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected." **

The twins shrugged at Hermione when she turned to glare at them disapprovingly.

**O.W.L.s were Ordinary Wizarding Levels, the examinations Hogwarts students took at the age of fifteen.**

**"And then there was this big row," Ginny said, "because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."**

"The ministry is useless," Harry interrupted, tearing his eyes away from Malfoy to nod at the twins, "they hide behind lies and schemes, pulling strings to make it seem like they're doing something right, when all they're actually doing is covering up the truth." A stunned silence met this speech, but Harry wasn't finished. He was still angry over Fudge not accepting the truth over Voldemort and he didn't place much trust within the ministry anymore.

"They aren't all bad Harry." Pointed out Remus, who was less surprised than the others by Harry's input; he'd taught the boy for a year so he knew he was smart.

"No, not all of them, but the people who aren't all bad aren't in a position to help the situation. All the heads of departments are focusing on the wrong things and none of them are willing to support Dumbledore. Fudge is too arrogant and way too concerned over his job to ever be really useful. I don't blame you guys for not wanting to work there." Harry added as an afterthought, nodding at Fred and George again. He either didn't notice everyone's dumbstruck expressions or he was ignoring them.

Draco coughed, feeling relieved that Potter had stopped staring, but weirded out by his demonstration of actually having a brain. Potter wasn't allowed to be smart, he thought, it would upset the cosmic balance of the universe.

**Just then a door on the second landing opened, and a face poked out wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a very annoyed expression. **

**"Hi, Percy," said Harry. **

The Weasleys scowled again at the reminder of their brother and the slightly awkward atmosphere picked up again.

**"Oh hello, Harry," said Percy. "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know I've got a report to finish for the office – and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs." **

Blaise decided to hum and see if that would diffuse the tension, but only succeeded in making his best friend and his girlfriend glare at him.

**"We're not thundering, "said Ron irritably. "We're walking. Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic."**

**"What are you working on?" said Harry.**

"Harry, you know you just completely undermined my sarcasm there." Ron complained good-naturedly.

"Oh, bringing out the big words are we Ron?" Harry grinned back at him.

**"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation," said Percy smugly. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin - leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year -" **

"Which is just fascinating really, but please just shut up." Sirius inserted, having never heard anything more boring since History of Magic lessons.

**"That'll change the world, that report will," said Ron. "Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks." **

Pansy let out a reluctant giggle and Ron looked at her wide-eyed. The twins were looking at their brother with something like approval, although he was too busy acting like an idiot to see it.

**Percy went slightly pink.**

**"You might sneer, Ron," he said heatedly, "but unless some sort of international law is imposed we might well find the market flooded with flimsy, shallow bottomed products that seriously endanger -"**

"Good Lord, he doesn't shut up, does he?" Narcissa muttered to herself. The room went silent, apparently having heard her and she turned a bright pink. She glared first at her grinning cousin, who shrank back a bit but kept on smiling and then at her son, who started reading but kept on smirking. She continued to glare at him, but conceded defeat when the smirk just got bigger.

**"Yeah, yeah, all right," said Ron, and he started off upstairs again. Percy slammed his bedroom door shut. **

"He never did know when someone wasn't interested," stated George mildly.

**As Harry, Hermione, and Ginny followed Ron up three more flights of stairs, shouts from the kitchen below echoed up to them. It sounded as though Mr. Weasley had told Mrs. Weasley about the toffees. **

More laughs from the room as the tension dissipated with the removal of Percy.

**The room at the top of the house where Ron slept looked much as it had the last time that Harry had come to stay: the same posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, **

Malfoy stopped and stared at that sentence feeling ill and slightly dreading Blaise's reaction. Sure enough…

"YES! Someone else supports the Cannons! I don't care if it's a Weasley, he supports the Cannons! Take that Malfoy!" Malfoy shared a look of dread with Pansy over Blaise's head, which was bobbing about as he did his victory dance.

Everyone chuckled at the Italian boy; even Ron looked amused, if a bit bewildered.

**were whirling and waving on the walls and sloping ceiling, and the fish tank on the windowsill, which had previously held frog spawn, now contained one extremely large frog. Ron's old rat, Scabbers, was here no more,**

A series of growls echoes through the room and Hermione quickly explained about Peter Pettigrew to the people not in the know, who looked shocked. They had known Sirius was innocent, but not the details of the story.

**but instead there was the tiny gray owl that had delivered Ron's letter to Harry in Privet Drive. It was hopping up and down in a small cage and twittering madly.**

**"Shut up, Pig," said Ron, edging his way between two of the four beds that had been squeezed into the room. "Fred and George are in here with us, because Bill and Charlie are in their room," he told Harry. "Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."**

**"Er - why are you calling that owl Pig?" Harry asked Ron.**

**"Because he's being stupid," said Ginny, "Its proper name is Pigwidgeon."**

Ron snorted here and shook his head, while Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes, well-used to their friends' complaints.

**"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all," said Ron sarcastically. **

**"Ginny named him," he explained to Harry. "She reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that." **

"God Weasley, do you ever stop moaning? Someone sent you an owl and all you can talk about is how annoying it is?" Malfoy drawled, raising an eyebrow at the red-faced boy. Harry frowned at the barb, but couldn't deny it was true.

**Pigwidgeon zoomed happily around his cage, hooting shrilly. Harry knew Ron too well to take him seriously. He had moaned continually about his old rat, Scabbers, but had been most upset when Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, appeared to have eaten him. **

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not mate." Ron frowned, trying to work it out while Harry shrugged.

**"Where's Crookshanks?" Harry asked Hermione now.**

**"Out in the garden, I expect," she said. "He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen any before."**

**"Percy's enjoying work, then?" said Harry, sitting down on one of the beds and watching the Chudley Cannons zooming in and out of the posters on the ceiling.**

"What gave it away, Harry?" asked Sirius sarcastically. Harry, being mature, decided to stick his tongue out in return

**"Enjoying it?" said Ron darkly. "I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed. Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. **_**According to Mr Crouch ... as I was saying to Mr Crouch ... Mr Crouch is of the opinion... Mr Crouch was telling me... **_**They'll be announcing their engagement any day now**_**."**_

Pansy raised an eyebrow at Ron. "That's a bit of an age gap, isn't it? Of course, I did hear a rumour that someone in the office was sleeping with Crouch…" She trailed off, hiding a grin at the looks of horror on everyone's faces.

**"Have you had a good summer, Harry?" said Hermione. "Did you get our food parcels and everything?" **

**"Yeah, thanks a lot," said Harry. "They saved my life, those cakes." **

Sirius sent him a dark look, hating that they'd even been necessary in the first place.

**"And have you heard from -?" Ron began, but at a look from Hermione he fell silent.**

"You can get him to shut up with just a look?" Pansy's dry question sent the room into snickers and Draco and Blaise looked suspiciously at her, wondering which of them she meant.

"Now Pansy, you know you love us, even if Draco talks constantly in his sleep as well as when he's awake." Blaise stated cheerily.

"At least I don't bloody snore, or sing in the damn shower every morning! And it's not even good music!" Draco retorted.

Hermione looked back and forth between the two boys in shock. Maybe it's just that they seem human for once, she pondered bemusedly. Everyone who had met the Slytherins before were exchanging surprised looks, whereas Pansy just rolled her eyes and clapped them both on the back of their heads.

Draco coughed to hide his embarrassment at his actions and quickly began to read.

**Harry knew he had been about to ask about Sirius. **

"Me! Yay, it's me!" Sirius wriggled in his seat, not unlike a puppy and grinned at his godson, who grinned back.

**Ron and Hermione had been so deeply involved in helping Sirius escape from the Ministry of Magic that they were almost as concerned about Harry's godfather as he was.**

"The feeling's mutual, I can assure you. Both of you are great kids." Sirius winked at them. He hadn't spent a lot of time with them during the summer, seeing as the order was pretty busy getting set up, but he knew Harry had made a brilliant choice when he picked his friends. Hermione blushed and Ron's ears went red.

**However, discussing him in front of Ginny was a bad idea. Nobody but themselves, and Professor Dumbledore knew about how Sirius escaped, or believed his innocence.**

"Well, I think a couple more people might know now guys," Fred gestured towards Sirius.

"Actually, I've been wondering about that," Harry frowned, "How come there weren't more people who believed you? I mean, surely there were ways for them to tell if you were lying, like with Veritaserum or something."

Sirius's face turned dark, so Remus answered for him. "There are ways to tell, like with the truth potion, but Sirius wasn't given a trial." He looked a bit guilty and Harry immediately regretted asking the question. He shot a grateful look at Malfoy when he cleared his throat to read and wondered at the way the other boy blushed when he saw it.

**"I think they've stopped arguing," said Hermione, to cover that awkward moment because Ginny was looking curiously from Ron to Harry. "Shall we go down and help your mum with dinner?"**

"Probably should have left her to cool off for a bit," Neville muttered and Harry couldn't help but agree.

**"Yeah, all right," said Ron. The four of them left Ron's room and went back downstairs, to find Mrs Weasley alone in the kitchen, looking extremely bad-tempered. **

Neville grimaced, thinking of his formidable gran. _That_ was a bad-tempered woman.

**"We're eating out in the garden," she said when they came in. "There's just no room for eleven people in here. **

Narcissa's eyes went wide but she pursed her lips, not wanting to say anything derogatory in a room full of Weasleys and friends of the Weasleys. Actually, she felt a little bit of admiration for the woman for not going insane or fleeing the country.

**Could you take the plates outside, girls? Bill and Charlie are setting up the tables. Knives and forks, please, you two," she said to Ron and Harry, pointing her wand a little more vigorously than she had intended at a pile of potatoes in the sink, which shot out of their skins so fast that they ricocheted off the walls and ceilings. **

**"Oh, for heaven's **_**sake**_**," she snapped,**

"She doesn't sound very happy," murmured Luna.

**now directing her wand at a dustpan, which hopped off the side and started skating across the floor, scooping up the potatoes. "Those two!" she burst out savagely, **

"Do you know who she could be talking about, Forge?"

"Not a clue, Gred, not a clue."

"I think she means you two," pointed out Luna helpfully. Fred gave her an odd look while everyone laughed and George pretended to look thoughtful whilst hiding a grin.

"You know what Luna, I think you may be right." He winked at the girl, who beamed back dreamily.

**now pulling pots and pans out of a cupboard, and Harry knew she meant Fred and George. "I don't know what's going to happen to them, I really don't. No ambition, unless you count making as much trouble as they possibly can..." **

"See, I might not agree with some of your products-well, most of them actually, but you can't say that a joke shop isn't ambitious." Hermione told them.

"I think she only wants what's best for you; no mother wants to see her child struggling in life. I expect she just wants you to be careful and safe." Narcissa directed the last part of this at her own son, whose face was dangerously close to the page he was reading. She held back a snort with difficulty and glanced at Harry, who was watching her with a slightly sad look on his face. She smiled back warmly.

**She slammed a large copper saucepan down on the kitchen table and began to wave her wand around inside it. A creamy sauce poured from the wand tip as she stirred. **

**"It's not as though they haven't got brains," she continued irritably,**

Fred snorted, "Well thanks mum. That's good to know."

**taking the saucepan over to the stove and lighting it with a further poke of her wand, "but they're wasting them, and unless they pull themselves together soon, they'll be in real trouble. I've had more owls from Hogwarts about them then the rest put together. If they carry on the way they're going, they'll end up in front of the Improper Use of Magic Office." **

Sirius rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if the twins were doing anything illegal-well, not too illegal, if you didn't count certain ingredients, but Molly was acting ridiculously! It was hardly going to help them if their own mother didn't support them.

**Mrs Weasley jabbed her wand at the cutlery drawer, which shot open. Harry and Ron both jumped out of the way as several knives soared out of it, flew across the kitchen and began chopping the potatoes, which had just been tipped back into the sink by the dustpan. **

**"I don't know where we went wrong with them," said Mr Weasley, putting down her wand and starting to pull out still more saucepans. "It's been the same for years, one thing after another, and they won't listen to - OH, NOT **_**AGAIN**_**!" **

Fred and George looked at each other. It wasn't exactly a nice feeling, hearing your own mother ask where they went wrong with you, but despite feeling sad over the lack of support, they were still determined to go ahead with their joke shop. They had the money now and it wouldn't be long before they were open for business.

Sirius was more interested in finding out what had happened.

**She had picked up her wand from the table, and it had emitted a loud squeak and turned into a giant rubber mouse.**

"That's brilliant!" laughed Cedric. "You guys made that?" he asked the twins. Blaise was looking impressed and the two marauders were grinning at the twins.

"That's nothing," piped up Ron, missing the pleased looks the twins sent him, "You should see some of their other stuff; it's all pretty amazing."

**"One of their fake wands again!" she shouted. "How many times have I told those two not to leave them lying around?" She grabbed her real wand and turned around to find that the sauce on the stove was smoking.**

"That's probably a good point actually," said Pansy disinterestedly, "If there was an emergency and someone grabbed a fake wand instead of their real one, well, I doubt a rubber mouse will do much to your enemies unless you have one hell of a throw."

**"C'mon," Ron said hurriedly to Harry, seizing a handful of cutlery from the open drawer, "let's go and help Bill and Charlie." **

Sirius agreed with Ron. "Best just to escape as soon as you can."

**They left Mrs Weasley, and headed out of the back door into the yard. **

**They had only gone a few paces when Hermione's bandy-legged, ginger cat Crookshanks **

Ron grumbled something too low for anyone without werewolf ears to hear and Remus chuckled lightly. Harry might not have been able to hear him, but he's heard enough before to know exactly what Ron was saying and rolled his eyes.

**came pelting out of the garden, bottle-brush tail held high in the air, chasing what looked like a muddy potato on legs. **

"They are a bit weird looking aren't they Draco?" Blaise grinned. The boy in question ignored his friend, trying to fight back a blush as he recalled the embarrassing memory. It didn't help that everyone was now looking at him curiously, especially not when one of those people seemed to be able to make him blush just by glancing at him.

**Harry recognised it instantly as a gnome. Barely ten inches tall, its horny little feet pattered very fast as it sprinted across the yard and dived headlong into one of the wellington boots that lay scattered around the door. Harry could hear it giggling madly as Crookshanks inserted a paw into the boot, trying to reach it.**

"I wish we had gnomes in our garden, but they don't like the dirigible plums, so they stay away," Said Luna sadly. Neville reached over to pat her on the arm and George did the same from his seat on the floor.

**Meanwhile, a very loud crashing noise was coming from the other side of the house. **

"I'm guessing your brother didn't appreciate that." Stated Remus amusedly.

**The source of the commotion was revealed as they entered the garden and saw that Bill and Charlie both had their wands out, and were making two battered old tables fly high above the lawn, smashing into each other, each attempting to knock the other's out of the air.**

Sirius let out a laugh. "Moony, you remember when James and I did that with all the patio furniture? His mum went nuts on us because there was a garden party in an hour and even the grass was ruined by the time we finished!" Remus rolled his eyes fondly and Harry looked up eagerly at the story.

**Fred and George were cheering; Ginny was laughing, and Hermione was hovering near the hedge, apparently torn between amusement and anxiety. **

"Now doesn't that sound familiar?" Sirius eyed his friend pointedly.

**Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang, and knocked one of its legs off. There was a clatter from overhead, and they all looked up to see Percy's head poking out of a window on the second floor. **

**"Will you keep it down?" he bellowed.**

"You were right Remus," Harry laughed.

**"Sorry, Perce," said Bill, grinning. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?" **

**"Very badly," said Percy peevishly, and he slammed the window shut again. **

Several people laughed, and the Weasleys just scowled, resigned to the fact that their brother would come up quite a bit in this book.

**Chuckling, Bill and Charlie directed the tables safely onto the grass, end to end, and then, with a flick of his wand, Bill reattached the table leg, and conjured tablecloths from nowhere.**

"I still can't do that!" Hermione murmured under her breath, more than slightly frustrated. Ron patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry! You're the best at spells."

**By seven o'clock, the two tables were groaning under dishes and dishes of Mrs Weasley's excellent cooking, and the nine Weasleys, Harry and Hermione were settling themselves down to eat beneath a clear, deep-blue sky. **

"That sound's nice," murmured Neville wistfully.

**To somebody who had been living on meals of increasingly stale cake all summer, this was paradise, and at first, Harry listened rather than talked, as he helped himself to chicken-and-ham pie, boiled potatoes and salad.**

**Narcissa nodded approvingly, eyeing the boy's small frame and smiling slightly when the Granger girl did the same thing. **

**At the far end of the table, Percy was telling his father all about his report on cauldron bottoms.**

There was a chorus of sighs and annoyed groans throughout the room.

**"I've told Mr Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday," Percy was saying pompously. "That's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time. I mean, it's extremely busy in out department just now, what with all the arrangements of the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman -" **

The twins glowered at the book, still peeved that the man got away with all their savings. Draco shifted uncomfortably at the identical glares but made his face impassive. He didn't mind glares if he knew what he'd done wrong, but the twins were pretty scary and their pranks were legendary.

**"I like Ludo," said Mr Weasley mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. **

Remus looked surprised at that. He turned to Sirius and saw the same expression on his friends face. They'd met Ludo near the end of their last year at Hogwarts and he hadn't seemed the generous type.

**I did him a bit of a favour: his brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble - a lawnmower with unnatural powers - I smoothed the whole thing over." **

Remus nodded; that did explain it.

**"Oh, Bagman's **_**likeable**_** enough, of course," said Percy dismissively, "but how he ever got to be Head of Department**

"Well he was a pretty good Quidditch player before he retired." Cedric put in. Harry nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah, for The Wasps wasn't it?" He remembered that from Dumbledore's pensieve. Cedric nodded and sent a hesitant smile at the black-haired boy, receiving a slightly pained one in return.

**... when I compare him to Mr Crouch! I can't see Mr Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realise Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"**

**"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that," said Mr Weasley, frowning. "He says Bertha's got lost plenty of times before now - though, I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried..." **

**"Oh, Bertha's **_**hopeless**_**, all right," said Percy. "I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth ... but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr Crouch has been taking a personal interest - she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr Crouch was quite fond of her**

"I don't think that's why Mr Crouch was taking a personal interest," muttered Hermione darkly.

**- but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania.**

"Surely he should be a bit more concerned about the welfare of one of his employees," exclaimed Narcissa. She knew the Ministry was mostly full of idiots and she didn't know exactly what had happened last year, but this looked a little suspicious.

**However," Percy heaved an impressive sigh, and took a deep swig of elderflower wine, "we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Co-operation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup." **

Harry snorted. Big event his ass; it was more like a massive disaster. Sirius wrapped an arm round Harry's shoulders, trying to take away the sad look on his Godson's face.

**He cleared his throat significantly and looked down towards the end of the table where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. "**_**You**_** know the one I'm talking about, Father." He raised his voice slightly. "The top-secret one." **

Draco didn't know whether to laugh or sneer. "Yes, because that isn't obvious at all."

**Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to Harry and Hermione, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."**

Harry and Cedric both laughed a little weakly. If only.

**In the middle of the table, Mrs Weasley was arguing with Bill about his earring, which seemed to be a recent acquisition. **

**"... with a horrible great fang on it, really, Bill, what do they say at the bank?" **

Pansy turned a thoughtful eye to her boyfriend's ears, which were devoid of earrings. Blaise went wide-eyed and shook Draco's arm frantically. Draco stopped reading, caught the look and snorted. He conjured up a hat with earflaps and shoved it on Blaise's head, much to the amusement of the room, before he carried on reading.

**"Mum, no one at the bank gives a damn how I dress as long as I bring home plenty of treasure," said Bill patiently. **

**"And your hair's getting silly, dear," said Mrs Weasley, fingering her wand lovingly. "I wish you'd let me give it a trim ..." **

Blaise pulled the hat down further over his head, nearly obscuring his eyes.

**"I like it," said Ginny, who was sitting beside Bill. "You're so old-fashioned, Mum. Anyway, it's nowhere near as long as Professor Dumbledore's ..."**

"Is anyone's?" asked Neville, genuinely curious.

**Next to Mrs Weasley, Fred, George and Charlie were all talking spiritedly about the World Cup.**

**"It's got to be Ireland," said Charlie thickly, through a mouthful of potato. "They flattened Peru in the semi-finals." **

**"Bulgaria has got Viktor Krum, though," said Fred. **

Ron growled and Harry winced, just now realising that he would have to listen to all Ron and Hermione's fights for a second time. That should be fun, he thought dryly.

**"Krum's one decent player, Ireland has got seven," said Charlie shortly. **

**"I wish England had got through, though. That was embarrassing, that was."**

The Quidditch fanatics winced at the reminder of the spectacular loss.

**"What happened?" said Harry eagerly, regretting more than ever his isolation from the wizarding world when he was stuck in Privet Drive. **

**Harry was passionate about Quidditch. **

"Exactly like James," Remus smiled. He turned to Harry and said "Your mother wasn't too fond of the sport so she didn't usually go to the games. In our seventh year, when they were finally dating, Lily turned up to one of his matches with a big sign saying I Love James Potter."

"What did he do?" asked Harry excitedly.

Sirius chuckled from beside him. "He crashed head first into the goalposts when he caught sight of it and nearly knocked himself out. Bloody funny that was, I couldn't stop laughing." he started sniggering and Harry grinned.

**He had played as Seeker on the Gryffindor house Quidditch team ever since his first year at Hogwarts and owned a Firebolt, one of the best racing brooms in the world.**

Remus shot a stinging hex at a smug Sirius and whistled innocently when he yelped and glared reproachfully.

**"Went down to Transylvania, three hundred and ninety to ten," said Charlie gloomily. "Shocking performance. And Wales lost to Uganda, and Scotland were slaughtered by Luxembourg." **

The Quidditch fanatics all groaned in unison. Hermione rolled her eyes. Honestly, there were more important things than Quidditch results!

**Mr Weasley conjured up candles to light the darkening garden before they had their pudding (home-made strawberry ice-cream), **

"Oh, I like strawberry ice cream," smiled Luna. There was a small pop and a bowl appeared in Luna's hands. She hummed happily and scooped some up.

**and by the time they had finished, moths were fluttering low over the table and the warm air was perfumed with the smells of grass and honeysuckle.**

Harry was feeling extremely well fed and at peace with the world as he watched several gnomes sprinting through the rose bushes, laughing madly and closely pursued by Crookshanks.

"Good," Sirius nodded firmly. That was exactly how he wanted his Godson to feel; at home and happy and not worrying over Tournaments and Voldemort.

**Ron looked carefully up the table to check that the rest of the family were all busy talking, then he said very quietly to Harry. "So - **_**have**_** you heard from Sirius lately?" **

**Hermione looked round, listening closely. **

**"Yeah," said Harry softly, "twice. He sounds OK. I wrote to him the day before yesterday. He might write back while I'm here." **

**He suddenly remembered the reason he had written to Sirius and, for a moment, was on the verge of telling Ron and Hermione about his scar hurting again, and about the dream which had awoken him ... but he really didn't want to worry them just now, not when he himself was feeling so happy and peaceful.**

Hermione was in the midst of glaring at him, but softened slightly at the last sentence. She wasn't happy, but she stopped glaring when Harry looked at her apologetically, accepting it with a small nod and a smile. Ron saw the interaction and grinned at Harry.

**"Look at the time," Mrs Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you, you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get to the Cup. Harry, if you leave your school list out, I'll get your things for you tomorrow in Diagon Alley. I'm getting everyone else's. There might not be time after the World Cup, the match went on for five days last time."**

**"Wow - I hope it does this time!" said Harry enthusiastically. **

**"Well, I certainly don't," said Percy sanctimoniously.**

Pansy gave an eye-roll. Honestly, she thought all the other Weasleys were bad enough, but this stuffy idiot was just getting on her nerves.

**"I **_**shudder**_** to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."**

**"Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?" said Fred. **

**"That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy going very red in the face.**

"I don't think it was," Neville said with a smile, eyeing the twins.

**"It was nothing **_**personal**_**!" **

**"It was," Fred whispered to Harry, as they got up from the table. "We sent it."**

There was a round of laughter, which finished off the end of the chapter nicely. Draco stood to pass the book to his mother, who smiled and squeezed his hand. Narcissa had a feeling they were introduced in this chapter, and understood that this probably was going to get a little uncomfortable. Draco grimaced and then headed back to his cushion, hearing snippets of conversation. He sat down and looked up, catching Potters eye and looking away quickly.

Narcissa eyed the blush on her sons face curiously, but before she could look around to see what-or who, had caused it, her cousin clapped his hands and bounced eagerly in his seat, waiting for her to start.

She gave an exasperated and fond headshake, but turned the page to the next chapter.

* * *

**Did you enjoy it? let me know please! **

**reviews are like fabulous sparkly unicorns :D**

**Thank you!**

**neverneverever**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here you go! Since lots of you enjoyed the last chapter i churned out another one real quick for you :) thanks for all the reviews! I shall reply to them via message soon but im extremely busy at this point in time :( Anyway, I hope you like this one and if not, let me know how i can fix it! Thanks to those who pointed out some of my mistakes in the previous chapters, i shall go back through and edit them soon :) you are muchly helpful! Read and review and tell me what you think! Thank you and happy reading :D Neverneverever**

**Warnings: just the same as the last chapter, but i will warn you now that i think this is definitely heading in the direction of slash. They're in the confused denial stage at the moment though. Tis ever so tame though. **

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. **

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"**Chapter 7, The Portkey." **Narcissa began. She stopped and looked at her son, who gave a relieved smile. They weren't introduced for a few more chapters.

Sirius grinned excitedly. He had wanted to see the world cup, but being out of the country had made that pretty difficult. This way he got to watch it anyway!

**Harry felt as though he had barely lain down to sleep in Ron's room when he was being shaken awake by Mrs Weasley. **

**"Time to go, Harry, dear," she whispered, moving away to wake Ron.**

"You need a foghorn to wake Ron up," snorted Hermione.

Ron turned to her with an indignant expression that faded into confusion. "What's a foghorn?" he frowned. Hermione blinked at him and smiled, shaking her head fondly. "It's nothing Ronald, don't worry about it."

"Padfoot's the same," mused Remus, "One time in fifth year we levitated him all the way down to the Great Hall and he stayed asleep the entire time. He was still in his pyjamas."

Sirius glared at his friend and turned pointedly to his cousin, who was hiding an amused smile.

**Harry felt around for his glasses, put them on and sat up. It was still dark outside. **

**Ron muttered indistinctly as his mother roused him. **

**At the foot of Harry's mattress he saw two large, dishevelled shapes emerging from tangles of blankets. **

Fred turned to Harry with a bemused grin, "You're making us sound so attractive Harry."

**"S'time already?" said Fred groggily.**

"I don't think you need my help Fred, you're doing fine on your own," Harry laughed.

**They dressed in silence, too sleepy to talk, then, yawning and stretching, the four of them headed downstairs into the kitchen.**

**Mrs Weasley was stirring the contents of a large pot on the stove, while Mr Weasley was sitting at the table, checking a sheaf of large parchment tickets. **

**He looked up as the boys entered, and spread his arms so that they could see his clothes more clearly. **

"Oh dear," murmured Remus, with a small smile.

**He was wearing what appeared to be a golfing jumper and a very old pair of jeans, slightly too big for him and held up with a thick leather belt.**

**"What d'you think?" he asked anxiously. "We're supposed to go incognito - do I look like a Muggle, Harry?"**

"He did actually. Better than a lot of the wizards we saw at the campsite anyway," said Harry, thinking mainly of Archie.

"It's not really surprising though, is it?" interrupted Pansy, "He does work in The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office; it makes sense that he'd know a lot about Muggles."

"Pansy like's being nosy and she knows everyone from the Ministry," Blaise clarified cheerfully for all of the surprised faces in the room.

**"Yeah," said Harry, smiling, "very good."**

**"Where're Bill, Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?" said George, failing to stifle a huge yawn.**

**"Well, they're Apparating, aren't they?" said Mrs Weasley, heaving the large pot over to the table and starting to ladle porridge into bowls. "So they can have a bit of a lie-in."**

"I can't wait until we learn to apparate!" said Hermione excitedly, "What do you think it's like?"

"Fun and a bit like being suffocated," George supplied helpfully.

**Harry knew that Apparating was very difficult; it meant disappearing from one place and reappearing almost instantly in another.**

**"So they're still in bed?" said Fred grumpily, pulling his bowl of porridge towards him. "Why can't we Apparate, too?" **

**"Because you're not of age and you haven't got your test," snapped Mrs Weasley. **

**"And where have those girls got to?"**

"Lazing about, are we Granger?" grinned Blaise. Hermione raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

**She bustled out of the kitchen and they heard her climbing the stairs. **

**"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" Harry asked.**

Narcissa stopped for a moment and looked blankly at the book. It wasn't such a shocking thing for the boy to not know about, but it still showed just how neglected he had been. If Harry had grown up in a wizarding family, she thought, they would have taught him all about the magical world.

**"Oh yes," said Mr Weasley, tucking the tickets safely into the back pocket of his jeans. "The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a licence. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves." **

Most everyone in the room winced at that, including Harry, who knew what it meant now.

**Everyone around the table except Harry winced.**

**"Er - splinched?" said Harry. **

**"They left half of themselves behind," said Mr Weasley, now spooning large amounts of treacle onto his porridge. "So, of course, they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork, I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind ..."**

**Harry had a sudden vision of a pair of legs and an eyeball lying abandoned on the pavement in Privet Drive.**

"Might serve the Dursleys right, traumatise them a bit," muttered Sirius. Harry just rolled his-thankfully attached-eyes at the ceiling.

**"Were they OK?" he asked, startled.**

"There are lots of spells that fix splinching right away, but they all look quite difficult," Hermione stated.

"Even if you don't know the spells, you can use potions," added Cedric.

**"Oh yes," said Mr Weasley matter-of-factly. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms - slower, but safer." **

Draco nodded firmly. Brooms were way better than apparition. He'd been side-along with his parents more times than he could count and he always felt sick afterwards.

**"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?"**

**"Charlie had to take the test twice," said Fred, grinning. "He failed first time, Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?"**

Most of the room laughed, although Hermione and Narcissa huffed a bit.

**"Yes, well, he passed second time," said Mrs Weasley, marching back into the kitchen amid hearty sniggers.**

**"Percy only passed two weeks ago," said George. "He's been Apparating downstairs every morning since, just to prove he can."**

Ron snorted, "Yeah, like you haven't done the exact same thing all month." He glared at the twins, who looked back innocently.

**There were footsteps down the passageway and Hermione and Ginny came into the kitchen, both looking pale and drowsy.**

**"Why do we have to get up so early?" Ginny said, rubbing her eyes and sitting down at the table. **

**"We've got a bit of a walk," said Mr Weasley. **

"You're walking to the cup?" yelped Sirius.

"I doubt it Sirius, they are probably walking to the Portkey, since that seems to be the focus of this chapter." Narcissa informed him, smiling indulgently when he went bright red and burrowed into the sofa cushions.

**"Walk?" said Harry. "What, are we walking to the World Cup?" **

Sirius muttered something quietly that sounded to Harry like "Harry thought so too…"

"Harry didn't know any better, you did."

Draco looked up at the ex-convict with a knowing grin. He had been on the receiving end of that warning tone for…most of his life really. He grinned even harder when he saw Potter stifling a laugh at his Godfathers expression. Green eyes caught his from across the room.

Was it just him or did it suddenly get rather hot in here?

**"No, no, that's miles away," said Mr Weasley, smiling. "We only need to walk a short way. It's just that it's very difficult for a large number of wizards to congregate without attracting Muggle attention. **

**We have to be very careful about how we travel at times, and on a huge occasion like the Quidditch World Cup -" **

**"George!" said Mrs Weasley sharply, and they all jumped. **

"What did you do now?" smiled Neville. He had been quiet for most of the chapter, but the twins always made him laugh, even if he wasn't too fond of being their test subject a lot of the time.

**"What?" said George, in an innocent tone that deceived nobody. **

"We really need to work on that Forge."

"Right you are Gred."

"**What is that in your pocket?" **

**"Nothing!" **

**"Don't lie to me!" **

**Mrs Weasley pointed her wand at George's pocket and said, "Accio!" **

**Several small, brightly coloured objects zoomed out of George's pocket; he made a grab for them but missed, and they sped right into Mrs Weasley's outstretched hand. **

**"We told you to destroy them!" said Mrs Weasley furiously, holding up what were unmistakably more Ton-Tongue Toffees. **

**"We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!" **

"Bad luck you two." Blaise said sympathetically. There was no denying how brilliant those sweets were. He glanced at Draco out of the corner of his eye, who was too busy looking across the room at something to notice his "scheming" face as Pansy called it.

**It was a very unpleasant scene; the twins had evidently been trying to smuggle as many toffees out of the house as possible, **

"You two really are exactly like James and Sirius here." Remus sighed.

The twins beamed at him.

**and it was only by using her Summoning Charm that Mrs Weasley managed to find them all. **

**"Accio! Accio! Accio!" she shouted, and toffees zoomed from all sorts of unlikely places, including the lining of George's jacket and the turn-ups of Fred's jeans. **

"That's a strange place to keep sweets," Luna commented mildly, tilting her head.

"We are strange people," said the twins solemnly.

**"We spent six months developing those!" Fred shouted at his mother, as she threw the toffees away. **

**"Oh, a fine way to spend six months!" she shrieked. "No wonder you didn't get more O.!" **

"Six months? You must have worked very hard then, the both of you." Narcissa said gently. She could understand why Mrs Weasley was upset. If Draco threw away his grades like that, she would be furious. But this was obviously something that these boys loved and excelled at.

**All in all, the atmosphere was not very friendly as they made their departure. Mrs Weasley was still glowering as she kissed Mr Weasley on the cheek, though not nearly as much as the twins, who had each hoisted their rucksacks onto their backs and walked out without a word to her. **

**"Well, have a lovely time," said Mrs Weasley, "and behave yourselves," she called after the twins' retreating backs,** **but they did not look back or answer. **

Fred and George looked at each other. They regretted that now, not that anything _had_ happened, but because something could have happened.

**"I'll send Bill, Charlie and Percy along around midday," Mrs Weasley said to Mr Weasley, as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny set off across the dark yard after Fred and George. **

**It was chilly and the moon was still out. **

"Way too early. That's not morning, that's valuable sleeping time," Grumbled Ron, making everyone laugh.

**Only a dull, greenish tinge along the horizon to their right showed that daybreak was drawing closer. Harry, having been thinking about thousands of wizards speeding towards the Quidditch World Cup, sped up to walk with Mr Weasley. **

**"So how does everyone get there without all the Muggles noticing?" he asked. **

"**I think they use portkeys Harry," Neville teased his friend. Harry stuck his tongue out at him in return. "I know that now."**

**"It's been a massive organisational problem," sighed Mr Weasley. "The trouble is, about a hundred thousand wizards turn up to the World Cup, and of course we just haven't got a magical site big enough to accommodate them all. **

**There are places Muggles can't penetrate, but imagine trying to pack a hundred thousand wizards into Diagon Alley or Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. **

"I can't see that happening." Harry said after everyone took a moment to imagine it.

"I think that's what Mr Weasley just explained Potter." Draco said, quirking an eyebrow. Harry made a face at him. Ron looked between the two in bewilderment, as if wondering why there were no threats being made.

**So we had to find a nice deserted moor, and set up as many anti-Muggle precautions as possible. The whole Ministry's been working on it for months. Firstly, of course, we have to stagger the arrivals. People with cheaper tickets have to arrive two weeks beforehand. **

"That's what Daddy and I did. We were stuck next to some very odd people though." said Luna. Everyone tried not to laugh at Luna Lovegood calling someone odd.

**A limited number use Muggle transport, but we can't have too many clogging up their buses and trains - remember, wizards are coming from all over the world. Some Apparate, of course, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Apparition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkeys. They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic points around Britain, and the nearest one to us is up the top of Stoatshead Hill, so that's where we're headed." **

"That must have taken quite a lot of work to set up," Remus said thoughtfully.

**Mr Weasley pointed ahead of them, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St Catchpole. **

**"What sort of objects are Portkeys?" said Harry curiously. **

**"Well, they can be anything," said Mr Weasley. "Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them ... stuff they'll just think is litter..." **

"What if they pick them to throw them away?" frowned Harry.

"The chances of them picking it up at the exact time it leaves are very low and there are usually enchantments around them to keep Muggles from doing that anyway." Hermione recited knowledgeably.

**They trudged down the dark, dank lane towards the village, the silence broken only by their footsteps. The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Harry's hands and feet were freezing.**

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you not have any gloves Harry? Why didn't you put on extra socks? You could have gotten sick!" Harry eyes widened at the concerned tone. He hurriedly explained that he didn't have any gloves and hadn't thought to put extra socks on. Haary heaved a sigh of relief when she tutted and turned back to the book.

**Mr Weasley kept checking his watch. **

**They didn't have breath to spare for talking as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tuffets of grass. Each breath Harry took was sharp in his chest, and his legs were starting to seize up when at last his feet found level ground. **

**"Whew," panted Mr Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes..." **

**Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. **

Hermione narrowed her eyes at everyone in turn, as if daring them to make a comment. None of them were quite brave enough to do it, even though they really wanted to.

**"Now we just need the Portkey," said Mr Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting around at the ground. "It won't be big... come on..." **

**They spread out, searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rented the still air. **

**"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!" **

**Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop.**

**"Amos!" said Mr Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed.**

The room froze at the name and everyone tried not to look at the Hufflepuff boy. Cedric smiled sadly at Harry who was gazing at him worriedly. He really wasn't looking forward to hearing about his parents, or how they reacted to his…well, death. He frowned then, was he dead? He definitely didn't feel dead, but he remembered dying.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts and deciding to return to them later Cedric gave a reassuring nod to Narcissa, encouraging her to continue. She watched him for a moment and then started reading again, voice softer as she described his dad.

**Mr Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy-faced wizard with a scrubby brown beard, who was holding a mouldy-looking old boot in his other hand.**

**"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," said Mr Weasley. "Works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. **

**And I think you know his son, Cedric?" **

**Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of around seventeen.**

There was a pause and then all eyes swivelled to Harry.

"What? What did I do?" Harry looked confusedly at everyone, from Sirius's shocked gaze to Pansy's gleeful one. Surely it couldn't be that bad if Pansy was grinning like that, could it? Actually, he had never seen Pansy Parkinson grin like that…maybe it wasn't such a good thing.

"Nothing, you didn't do anything Harry," said Hermione quickly, "It's just that, most people, well, most boys, don't really describe other boys as extremely handsome. Well, no that's not it, some of them do! I'm not trying to be rude or something, I mean there's nothing wrong with noticing that…"

By now Hermione was bright red and everyone was torn between laughing at her flustered face and Harry's completely lost one. They settled on both and the room was filled with roaring laughter for at least five minutes as Hermione buried her face in her hands and Harry looked blankly at everyone.

Sirius finished chuckling and patted Harry on the shoulder. "It's alright Harry, im sure Diggory's very flattered."

Cedric winked at the younger boy and grinned, feeling a bit bad about laughing but cheerful nonetheless. He didn't miss the way the Malfoy boy scowled at him and filed that away for later on.

**He was captain and Seeker of Hufflepuff house Quidditch team at Hogwarts. "Hi," said Cedric, looking around at them all.**

**Everybody said "Hi" back except Fred and George, who merely nodded. **

They shot Cedric apologetic looks from across the room.

**They had never quite forgotten Cedric for beating their team, Gryffindor, in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. **

Pansy rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder**. **_Boys_**.**

**"Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father asked. **

**"Not too bad," said Mr Weasley. "We live just on the other side of the village there. You?" **

"Lies!" George yelled out, making everyone jump.

"You call that not too bad? Hermione can't even breathe!" Fred immediately leapt back against the couch as Hermione thwacked him over the head with a cushion that had conveniently appeared in her lap.

"You best be careful what you say Fred Weasley or a pillow will be the least of your worries!" Hermione growled at him, sounding remarkably like Crookshanks. Harry had always suspected the two were connected in some way, although he had wisely kept that thought to himself.

"You better listen to her Weasley, she throws a mean punch," Draco warned him, rubbing his nose in remembrance.

Narcissa looked worriedly at her son, but everyone else was sniggering and Hermione was blushing, so she decided not to be too concerned.

**"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced? **

Ron looked faint at the idea of such a time even existing.

**I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still ..not complaining... Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons - and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy..." Amos Diggory peered good-naturedly around all three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione and Ginny. "All these yours, Arthur?"**

**"Oh, no, only the redheads," said Mr Weasley, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, friend of Ron's - and Harry, another friend -" **

**"Merlin's beard," said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?" **

The Harry in question groaned and sank back into the cushions. He hated it when this happened. Sirius slung an arm around his shoulder, not quite sure why he was annoyed but determined to try and help.

**"Er - yeah," said Harry. **

**Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightening scar on his forehead, but it always made him feel uncomfortable. **

Pansy was looking at him curiously now. She knew being famous couldn't be easy, but there was _no way_ it didn't have its perks. Cedric was also looking at him in confusion. He'd never gotten the impression that Harry was big-headed, but Cedric figured he must enjoy being famous some of the time. And wasn't him entering the tournament because of his fame as well?

**"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will ... you beat Harry Potter!" **

**Harry couldn't think of a reply to this, so he remained silent. **

**Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed. **

The Cedric in the room looked even more embarrassed. He couldn't be angry at his father, not after everything he'd been through, but he still felt uncomfortable hearing this conversation again.

**"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. "I told you... there were Dementors… it was an accident..." **

**"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman ... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? **

Harry nodded slowly. After the tournament, he could freely admit that Cedric had been a much better person than him and deserved a hell of a lot better than he got.

**One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need a genius to tell which one's the better flier!" **

Sirius frowned heavily at the book, torn between vehemently defending Harry and just ignoring the man in favour of Cedric. Harry nudged him in the side and Sirius turned, nodding when his Godson shook his head.

**"Must be nearly time," said Mr Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. **

"Gotta love Dad," snorted all three Weasley's at the same time.

"He's not exactly subtle is he?" said Hermione fondly.

**"Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?" **

**"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week already and the Fawcetts couldn't get tickets," said Mr Diggory. "There aren't any more of us in the area, are there?" **

**"Not that I know of," said Mr Weasley. "Yes, it's a minute off... we'd better get ready..." **

**He looked round at Harry and Hermione. "You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -" With difficulty, owing to the bulky backpacks, the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggory. **

"Probably would have been better off with something bigger," muttered Pansy.

**They all stood there in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly occured to Harry how odd this would look if a Muggle were to walk up here now... **

There were a few chuckles as people tried to imagine that.

**nine people, two grown men, clutching a manky old boot in the semi-darkness, waiting... "Three ..." muttered Mr Weasley, one eye still on his watch, "two...one..." **

**It happened immediately: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forwards. **

Harry glanced at Cedric over Sirius's shoulder, grimacing when he saw the same expression of disgust on his face. He really wasn't fond of Portkeys, especially not after the Cup. Sirius frowned as Harry shifted and then drew him closer as realisation hit.

**His feet had left the ground; he could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were speeding forwards in a howl of wind and swirling colour; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically onwards and then - **

**His feet slammed onto the ground; Ron staggered into him and he fell over; the Portkey hit the ground near his head with a heavy thud. **

"Oops? Sorry Harry," Ron grinned unrepentantly at him and Harry gave him a mock-glare.

**Harry looked up. Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory and Cedric were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was on the ground.**

"Completely unfair!" grumbled the Neville. It didn't take much for him to fall over, and portkeys weren't exactly gentle.

**"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice.**

"**That's the end. Shall we take a break? I need a drink after all this reading." Narcissa shut the book with a soft snap to many hums of agreement.**

"**Now, now Mother, it's a bit early for alcohol." Draco smirked as his mother threw him a dirty look. **

Small pops announced the arrival of several jugs of pumpkin juice and butterbeer and Cedric picked up the book to start reading whilst everyone drank.

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Did you like it? I hope so!

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Reviews are like cups of tea on a rainy day :) have a nice day!

Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh my sweet holy T-rex, this took forever and it was so long! Im so sorry! This isn't my best work and please remember that none of this story is beta-read, so i apologize if it turns out rubbish :/ Anyway, thanks to all the reviews and follows and favorites, you've all been really great! I reply to each one via PM because it's easier, but sorry if it takes a while :P Anyway, i hope you enjoy it, ill try and get the next one done quicker :) Enjoy! Leave a review and let me know what you think :) Thank you!**

**Warnings: Once again, just some very minor language i think? Oh and I suppose its sort of pre-slash-ish, i don't know. **

**Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.  
**

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**Chapter Nine**

**Harry disentangled himself from Ron and got to his feet. They had arrived on what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. In front of them was a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards, one of whom was holding a large gold watch, the other a thick roll of parchment and a quill.**

"I think I'd be tired and grumpy if I had to deal with everyone arriving," Remus winced sympathetically. Everyone grimaced in agreement.

**Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.**

"Sounds fine to me!" Fred waved a hand dismissively. George rolled his eyes and turned to Hermione, who was hiding a laugh behind her hand. "Go on then Granger, what's wrong with wearing that? Sounds Muggle enough to me."

Hermione shook her head and Harry grinned. "Yes, they _are_ Muggle clothes, but you don't wear them altogether like that! You have lots of different styles and some people prefer more casual clothes, while others like to wear specific combinations or brands. It also depends what kind of environment you're in; like, you wouldn't usually wear a suit to a park or a beach."

Hermione finished her explanation and looked around, seeing everyone's overwhelmed expressions. She looked at Harry, who was desperately trying not to laugh, but as soon as he caught her eye, they both burst into laughter. Maybe that would make them see that Muggles were perhaps a little bit more complicated than wizards thought.

**"Morning, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Harry could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football. **

**"Hello there, Arthur," said Basil wearily. "Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some… We've been here all night… You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite… Weasley… Weasley…" He consulted his parchment list. "About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne."**

"Basil isn't in your Dad's apartment is he?" Hermione asked curiously. Ron shook his head.

"Nope, there are only a couple of them in Dad's apartment. Dad knows everyone though; he's nice and polite even if he can't stand them."

Pansy and Narcissa glanced at each other. It might seem like just plain manners, but that was actually very pureblood behaviour. It was always best to integrate yourself into every part of society, even if certain people weren't quite up to standard.

**"Thanks, Basil," said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him. They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist.**

**After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Harry could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good-bye to the Diggory's and approached the cottage door. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Harry knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. **

**Harry got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. **

Ron looked over at Harry in surprise. "You didn't say anything."

Harry shrugged, "I didn't think it was a big deal. Everyone gets those feelings from time to time." Ron nodded slowly, but Harry could tell he was still thinking about it.

"You should always follow your instincts, or at the very least listen to them and be cautious," Remus said to the room as a whole. Sirius grinned and mouthed "Professor Moony" at Harry, who laughed and shook his head.

**When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.**

**"Morning!" said Mr. Weasley brightly.**

**"Morning," said the Muggle.**

**"Would you be Mr. Roberts?"**

**"Aye, I would," said Mr. Roberts. "And who're you?"**

**"Weasley - two tents, booked a couple of days ago?"**

**"Aye," said Mr. Roberts, consulting a list tacked to the door. "You've got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?"**

**"That's it," said Mr. Weasley.**

"I guess it's a good thing the match didn't last more than the one day isn't it?" Pansy asked in a bored tone.

The Weasleys looked a bit sheepish at that; they hadn't thought about it.

**"You'll be paying now, then?" said Mr. Roberts.**

**"Ah - right - certainly -" said Mr. Weasley. He retreated a short distance from the cottage and beckoned Harry toward him. "Help me, Harry," he muttered, pulling a roll of Muggle money from his pocket and starting to peel the notes apart. "This one's a - a - a ten? Ah yes, I see the little number on it now… So this is a five?"**

"Wait a second," Draco interrupted, "It's on paper? Well that's a bit stupid; it could get damaged really easily!"

"It's not stupid!" said Hermione hotly. "It's a lot easier to understand than wizarding currency!"

"Actually it is a bit stupid," stated Harry, a bit absentmindedly. "Aunt Petunia used to get really annoyed whenever the notes ripped and Dudley was always spilling drinks on his. Not to mention, I don't think wizarding money changes depending which country you're in, like Pounds to Euros. And Draco never said it was hard to understand, he just said it could get damaged."

There was a small silence before Harry, Hermione and Draco all blushed slowly. Harry was studiously avoiding everyone's gaze, while Draco stared at the side of his head in pleased surprise and Hermione looked confusedly between the two.

Cedric coughed to hide a laugh and hitched the book up so he could continue reading.

**"A twenty," Harry corrected him in an undertone, uncomfortably aware of Mr. Roberts trying to catch every word.**

**"Ah yes, so it is… I don't know, these little bits of paper…"**

**"You foreign?" said Mr. Roberts as Mr. Weasley returned with the correct notes.**

**"Foreign?" repeated Mr. Weasley, puzzled.**

**"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money," said Mr. Roberts, scrutinizing Mr. Weasley closely. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."**

Sirius let out a hoot of laughter and the twins sniggered. Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at Fred, who coughed hastily and put on a solemn expression that made George double over with laughter.

"Didn't realise you were that far gone, brother dear," he whispered through chuckles. Fred just grimaced.

**"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley nervously.**

**Mr. Roberts rummaged around in a tin for some change.**

**"Never been this crowded," he said suddenly, looking out over the misty field again. "Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up…"**

**"Is that right?" said Mr. Weasley, his hand held out for his change, but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.**

**"Aye," he said thoughtfully. "People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and a poncho."**

"They aren't exactly being subtle, are they?" snorted Pansy. Blaise shrugged dismissively, "I think a kilt and a poncho is a great look."

Draco shook his head, "You would. At least I know what to get you for Christmas now."

Pansy gave them both glares as they grinned at each other. "Draco, if you buy him that, im going to forcibly dress you in it and paste the pictures on every wall in Hogwarts.

**"Shouldn't he?" said Mr. Weasley anxiously.**

Hermione opened her mouth, then shut it again when Ron gave her a pleading look.

**"It's like some sort of… I dunno… like some sort of rally," said Mr. Roberts. "They all seem to know each other. Like a big party."**

"He's figuring it out. This is why we need to be more careful. Muggles should never be involved in Wizarding affairs unless they have to be." Remus muttered.

**At that moment, a wizard in plus-fours appeared out of thin air next to Mr. Roberts's front door.**

**"Obliviate!" he said sharply, pointing his wand at Mr. Roberts.**

**Instantly, Mr. Roberts's eyes slid out of focus, his brows unknitted, and a look of dreamy unconcern fell over his face. Harry recognized the symptoms of one who had just had his memory modified.**

Sirius turned his head sharply to look at Harry. "How? How exactly do you know what that looks like? They don't teach that until much later on."

Harry and Ron exchanged very tiny grins.

"It was when Ron and I went down into the chamber. We took Professor Lockhart down with us and he tried to cast a memory charm on us with Ron's wand. The wand was broken though, so the spell backfired and hit Lockhart instead. He lost his entire memory and they still haven't found a way to give it back, I don't think." Harry realised belatedly that he'd probably just given Sirius more to worry about, if the expression of alarm on his face was anything to go by.

Sirius gestured for Cedric, who was looking at Harry and Ron in shock along with most of the room, to keep reading. Then he shifted until he had an arm round Harry and pulled him close, thinking back over what little he knew of Harry's first few years. What the heck was this chamber?

**"A map of the campsite for you," Mr. Roberts said placidly to Mr. Weasley. "And your change."**

**"Thanks very much," said Mr. Weasley.**

**The wizard in plus-fours accompanied them toward the gate to the campsite. He looked exhausted: His chin was blue with stubble and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Once out of earshot of Mr. Roberts, he muttered to Mr. Weasley, "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a Memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy.**

"That is dangerous," frowned Narcissa softly, too softly for anyone else to hear. She knew the man would face much more dangerous things that night, but it was still very risky. The thought of what happened later on made her feel a little sick.

**And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security. Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur." He Disapparated.**

**"I thought Mr. Bagman was Head of Magical Games and Sports," said Ginny, looking surprised. "He should know better than to talk about Bludgers near Muggles, shouldn't he?"**

"Hey, that's a thought! How come Ginny isn't here with us?" Ron frowned. A pop sounded and a piece of paper appeared on the table. Ron reached over to pick it up and his face went a very bright shade of red. He stuffed the paper in the pocket of his trousers and waved at Cedric to read, ignoring everyone's questions with a mumble of "never mind, doesn't matter."

**"He should," said Mr. Weasley, smiling, and leading them through the gates into the campsite, "but Ludo's always been a bit… well… lax about security. You couldn't wish for a more enthusiastic head of the sports department though. He played Quidditch for England himself, you know. And he was the best Beater the Wimbourne Wasps ever had."**

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius's enthusiastic grinning. He couldn't help smiling though, when he caught how the grin made Sirius look less like someone who's seen the horrors of Askaban and more like the young man he'd known in Hogwarts.

**They trudged up the misty field between long rows of tents. Most looked almost ordinary; their owners had clearly tried to make them as Muggle-like as possible, but had slipped up by adding chimneys, or bellpulls, or weather vanes. **

Neville smiled. He'd been trying to keep a low-profile, not quite sure if he even wanted to be reading these books, but he couldn't deny that it was interesting to see things from Harry's point of view.

**However, here and there was a tent so obviously magical that Harry could hardly be surprised that Mr. Roberts was getting suspicious. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance.**

"Bloody peacocks," Draco muttered furiously. Narcissa tried hard to hide a laugh but it burst forth at her son's mutinous expression. The room looked at her in surprise, Pansy and Blaise grinning when they saw how their friend was glaring at her.

"Sorry dear, I've just never understood why you don't like them!" She exclaimed innocently, her lips twitching.

"I don't not like them, I hate them and the feeling is definitely mutual. And you know exactly why!" Draco growled. He could see Harry looking at him curiously from beside his Godfather, while the rest of the room sniggered. He raged internally at his father for buying the blasted birds, but now Harry was sort of smiling at him and Draco felt his eyes widen and his breath catch before he quickly looked away. _Oh…_

**A little farther on they passed a tent that had three floors and several turrets; and a short way beyond that was a tent that had a front garden attached, complete with birdbath, sundial, and fountain.**

"Sounds like a nice set-up!" George grinned.

"Mum would love that," Ron agreed. George smiled at him for a second. That hadn't been what he was thinking, but it was true nonetheless.

**"Always the same," said Mr. Weasley, smiling. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us."**

**They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, and here was an empty space, with a small sign hammered into the ground that read WEEZLY.**

**"Couldn't have a better spot!" said Mr. Weasley happily. "The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be." He hoisted his backpack from his shoulders.**

**"Right," he said excitedly, "no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult… Muggles do it all the time… **

**Here, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?"**

"Not really asking the right person Mr Weasley!" Harry laughed.

"I don't think he can hear you Potter," Pansy said, but there was a hint of teasing in her voice, so Harry just laughed again.

**Harry had never been camping in his life; the Dursleys had never taken him on any kind of holiday, preferring to leave him with Mrs. Figg, an old neighbor. **

Sirius growled murderously and hugged his Godson closer to his side. He swore when they won this war, he was going to show Harry the time of his life. They were going to do anything and everything Harry wanted to do and Sirius was going to make damn sure those Dursley's paid for the way they treated his Godson.

Hermione felt a bit guilty. She hadn't known that Harry had never been on holiday, or she wouldn't have said so much about all the places she'd been with her parents. She knew Harry wouldn't appreciate any pitying looks though, so she caught Cedric's eye to get him to read.

**However, he and Hermione worked out where most of the poles and pegs should go, and though Mr. Weasley was more of a hindrance than a help, because he got thoroughly overexcited when it came to using the mallet, they finally managed to erect a pair of shabby two-man tents.**

Most of the room grinned at Mr Weasley's antics.

**All of them stood back to admire their handiwork. Nobody looking at these tents would guess they belonged to wizards, Harry thought, but the trouble was that once Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived, they would be a party of ten. Hermione seemed to have spotted this problem too; she gave Harry a quizzical look as Mr. Weasley dropped to his hands and knees and entered the first tent.**

"You didn't honestly think it would be that small on the inside did you?" Pansy asked.

Ron laughed as both his friends nodded sheepishly.

**"We'll be a bit cramped," he called, "but I think we'll all squeeze in. Come and have a look."**

**Harry bent down, ducked under the tent flap, and felt his jaw drop.**

Everyone laughed at Harry's reaction and the actual Harry just mock-glared at them all.

**He had walked into what looked like an old-fashioned, three room flat, complete with bathroom and kitchen. Oddly enough, it was furnished in exactly the same sort of style as Mrs. Figg's house: There were crocheted covers on the mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.**

**"Well, it's not for long," said Mr. Weasley, mopping his bald patch with a handkerchief and peering in at the four bunk beds that stood in the bedroom. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago."**

"You know on second thought, maybe it's a good thing they only booked for one night, hmm Pansy?" Blaise nudged his girlfriend with his elbow, grinning even as she turned and thwacked him on the head.

**He picked up the dusty kettle and peered inside it. "We'll need water…"**

**"There's a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us," said Ron, who had followed Harry inside tent and seemed completely unimpressed by its extraordinary inner proportions. **

"His name's not the Muggle, Ronald!" Hermione said reproachfully. Ron whistled innocently and stared at the ceiling.

**"It's on the other side of the field."**

**"Well, why don't you, Harry, and Hermione go and get us some water then" - Mr. Weasley handed over the kettle and a couple of saucepans - "and the rest of us will get some wood for a fire?"**

"We should have just cast augamenti when he wasn't looking," mused Ron.

"You can't Ron! You can't cast magic outside of school until you're of age." Lectured Hermione.

Narcissa and Sirius both shook their heads and laughed, surprising each other. "That's not true entirely true Miss Granger, but I don't think I should explain it in case you all decide to test it." Narcissa said gently. Draco, Blaise and Pansy grinned at each other while the twins narrowed their eyes at Sirius, who wasn't meeting anyone's eyes.

**"But we've got an oven," said Ron. "Why can't we just -"**

**"Ron, anti-Muggle security!" said Mr. Weasley, his face shining with anticipation.**

**"When real Muggles camp, they cook on fires outdoors. I've seen them at it!"**

"Actually, lots of Muggles just use a camping stove, it's much simpler." Hermione stated.

**After a quick tour of the girls' tent, which was slightly smaller than the boys', though without the smell of cats, **

"Lucky," muttered all of the boys. Hermione just grinned.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off across the campsite with the kettle and saucepans.**

**Now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, they could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. They made their way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around.**

"Nosy," Sirius muttered in Harry's ear with a grin.

"Like you're one to talk," Harry mumbled back.

**It was only just dawning on Harry how many witches and wizards there must be in the world; he had never really thought much about those in other countries.**

Neville tilted his head. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't realised it either until the Tournament. There were thousands in Britain alone, how many were there altogether? Harry was thinking a similar thing. Was he famous everywhere? Could he go to the other side of the world and not be recognised? Not have people stare at his scar and know why he had it?

**Their fellow campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children; Harry had never seen witches and wizards this young before. A tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami. As they drew level with him, his mother came hurrying out of the tent.**

**"How many times, Kevin? You don't - touch - Daddy's - wand - yecchh! "**

**She had trodden on the giant slug, which burst. Her scolding carried after them on the still air, mingling with the little boy's yells - "You bust slug! You bust slug!"**

"Kind of sounds like someone else I know," Narcissa said, looking pointedly at Draco. He stared back innocently.

Sirius smiled at his cousin. He wasn't sure what to think of the boy just yet, but he couldn't help but think there was a lot more of his mother to him than Draco ever let on.

"I think you mean two someones," Pansy said, pointing at Blaise. "The two of them together at that age were just menaces! They vanished my eyebrows!"

Everyone tried valiantly to hold in their laughter, but the two boys didn't bother.

**A short way farther on, they saw two little witches, barely older than Kevin, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls' toes to skim the dewy grass.**

"I bought you one of those!" Shouted Sirius happily. Harry jumped at the sudden noise and rubbed his ear.

"God Padfoot, could you be any louder?" Sirius shot him an innocent look, which was quickly ruined by a wicked grin.

"Silencio. There, that's better." Remus grinned at his friends outraged look and twirled his wand between his fingers. "What Sirius was saying, Harry, was that he bought you one of those toy broomsticks for your first birthday. Your mother wasn't very happy with him, but she softened when she saw how much you loved it."

Sirius shook his head and waved his arms around. Remus looked curiously at him and undid the spell.

"She softened when Harry chased James around the house and knocked him over the back of the couch." Everyone in the room chuckled and Harry grinned at the thought.

**A Ministry wizard had already spotted them; as he hurried past Harry, Ron, and Hermione he muttered distractedly, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose -"**

**Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents and starting to cook breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn't work. **

Hermione scoffed and Remus shook his head wryly.

"It doesn't work when Dad tries it," said Ron slowly, "but Muggles couldn't have survived for so long if it didn't. They don't have magic, so they sort of just worked around it?" He turned to Hermione, who nodded, looking fondly at him.

"Humans evolved. The ones without magic in their blood had to make do without it, so they learnt new things and studied and experimented. It's amazing what we've managed to come up with over the years." She hesitated and then gestured to Cedric to keep reading; she didn't think the purebloods would take too kindly to her saying that Muggles had actually progressed much further than Wizards.

**Three African wizards sat in serious conversation, all of them wearing long white robes and roasting what looked like a rabbit on a bright purple fire, **

"Oh well that's nice and subtle, isn't it?" Grinned Blaise cheerfully. Harry smiled slightly at the boy, taking in the way Pansy and Draco did the same and found himself wondering at their friendship. They didn't act so close in Hogwarts, in fact, Harry had never seen Blaise around at all, although he remembered him from the sorting.

**while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE. **

Narcissa tilted her head thoughtfully, "I've heard of them, they have quite a reputation, but they are not exactly known for being inconspicuous." Remus nodded at her, thinking of the articles he'd read in the prophet about their protests.

**Harry caught snatches of conversation in strange languages from the inside of tents they passed, and though he couldn't understand a word, the tone of every single voice was excited.**

Everyone laughed; of course they were all excited, it was the Quidditch World Cup!

**"Er - is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?" said Ron.**

**It wasn't just Ron's eyes.**

"Good to know, little brother." Said George solemnly.

"Yeah, I don't think we could cope if all of the dream team wore glasses." Fred finished, grinning wickedly at Hermione, who blushed.

"They're reading glasses! I don't need them all the time and you were not supposed to see them!" She exclaimed huffily, crossing her arms and glaring whilst everyone tried not to laugh.

**They had walked into a patch of tents that were all covered with a thick growth of shamrocks, so that it looked as though small, oddly shaped hillocks had sprouted out of the earth. Grinning faces could be seen under those that had their flaps open. Then, from behind them, they heard their names.**

**"Harry! Ron! Hermione!"**

**It was Seamus Finnigan, their fellow Gryffindor fourth year. He was sitting in front of his own shamrock-covered tent, with a sandy-haired woman who had to be his mother, and his best friend, Dean Thomas, also of Gryffindor. "Like the decorations?" said Seamus, grinning. "The Ministry's not too happy."**

**"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Mrs. Finnigan. **

**"You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" she added, eyeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione beadily.**

"Well, you're hardly going to say no while you're in the middle of what might as well be Ireland." Draco said dryly. Harry outright laughed at that, as did Hermione, both of them remembering what Ron said next. Draco looked up at Harry in shock, feeling his stomach lurch uncomfortably at the other boys laugh.

**When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot."**

Ron and Draco both turned a greenish colour as everyone laughed. Draco glared first at Weasley, then at Harry for making his stomach lurch again with all that laughing. _Obviously, his laugh just makes me feel sick, that's all. No other reason whatsoever_, he told himself, _now don't look at Pansy or she'll know exactly what you're thinking and then you'll never hear the end of it._

**"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" said Hermione.**

"A great big di-"

"Ron!"

**"Let's go and have a look," said Harry, pointing to a large patch of tents upfield, where the Bulgarian flag - white, green, and red - was fluttering in the breeze. The tents here had not been bedecked with plant life, but each and every one of them had the same poster attached to it, a poster of a very surly face with heavy black eyebrows. The picture was, of course, moving, but all it did was blink and scowl. **

**"Krum," said Ron quietly.**

The Ron in the room was the one doing the scowling now and Harry sighed deeply as both his best friends refused to look at each other. He noticed Fred was scowling too and groaned mentally. He really wasn't looking forward to any more drama, especially drama that he'd already been through.

**"What?" said Hermione.**

**"Krum!" said Ron. "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"**

**"He looks really grumpy," said Hermione, looking around at the many Krums blinking and scowling at them.**

"You changed your tune later on, didn't you?" Ron grumbled. Hermione glared at him.

**"Really grumpy?" Ron raised his eyes to the heavens. "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."**

"Yes, well im not the only one, am I?" Hermione asked heatedly. Harry leaned around Sirius to look at Cedric, gesturing at his friends and then at the book with one hand, hoping Cedric would read through all the Krum parts really quickly from now on.

Cedric took in the tense atmosphere between Ron and Hermione and the way Fred was frowning and nodded at Harry. Then he saw the way the Malfoy boy was watching their interaction and decided that a little drama never hurt anyone. He winked at Harry and watched as he blushed in surprise, before turning back to the book, feeling Malfoys glare burning into the side of his head.

**There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. **

They all stared at each other for a long moment before bursting into laughter.

"Oh God, that's brilliant! He must look like such an idiot!" gasped Sirius, clutching his side.

**The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.** **"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious –**

**"I bought this in a Muggle shop," said the old wizard stubbornly. "Muggles wear them."**

"Yeah, but they're usually women and they're usually asleep," grinned Ron, earlier annoyance forgotten.

**"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these," said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.**

**"I'm not putting them on," said old Archie in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."**

Everyone burst into laughter once more, Sirius collapsing on top of Harry as he chuckled and even Luna giggled.

**Hermione was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away. **

Hermione was still giggling now as she thought back on the conversation. Hearing it all now brought everything back so clearly.

**Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old captain of Harry's House Quidditch team, **

"Wasn't he the one who was obsessed with Quidditch?" asked Blaise lightly, still grinning. Harry pulled a face, as did the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and nodded.

"I wouldn't say obsessed so much as a complete lunatic. He was like the Quidditch Captain from hell!" Fred grumbled.

"Total madman! I honestly think he would have gone on a killing spree if we hadn't won the cup that year." George added.

**who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Harry over to his parents' tent to introduce him, and told him excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United reserve team.**

"I heard about that. Mother told me," Pansy added when she caught everyone's confused looks, "my mother enjoys gossip, so even though I hate the sport, I get updates on all the new players and captains. It's rather irritating." She huffed with an annoyed expression.

"Useful though," Blaise murmured to Draco, who choked off a laugh when Pansy turned her eyes on him. He looked at her innocently, whilst Blaise hid his face and shook with silent laughter.

**Next they were hailed by Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff fourth year, **

Ron muttered something that sounded like "pompous git" under his breath and Hermione elbowed him in the side.

**and a little farther on they saw Cho Chang, a very pretty girl who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw team. She waved and smiled at Harry, who slopped quite a lot of water down his front as he waved back.**

There was a slightly strained moment where nobody was sure whether to laugh or wince, but everybody avoided Harry and Cedric's eyes.

"This is going to be very embarrassing, isn't it?" Harry murmured to Sirius, who patted him on the shoulder and pulled him in closer. Personally, he thought Harry's reaction in the book was a little bit funny, but he still felt bad for the two boys. He had heard Hermione and Ginny talking about Cho over the summer, and about how awful it must have been for her to lose her boyfriend.

Cedric didn't know what to think, but resolved to talk to Harry as soon as he could. He wasn't mad, he just felt a bit awkward.

**More to stop Ron from smirking than anything,**

Hermione elbowed Ron again and he yelped loudly, blushing when everyone turned to look at him.

**Harry hurriedly pointed out a large group of teenagers whom he had never seen before.**

**"Who d'you reckon they are?" he said. "They don't go to Hogwarts, do they?"**

**Several people snorted at his naivety and Harry crossed his arms defensively. **

**"'Spect they go to some foreign school," said Ron. "I know there are others. Never met anyone who went to one, though. Bill had a penfriend at a school in Brazil… this was years and years ago… and he wanted to go on an exchange trip but Mum and Dad couldn't afford it. His penfriend got all offended when he said he wasn't going and sent him a cursed hat. It made his ears shrivel up."**

"I remember that!" laughed Fred, "Bill had to go to St. Mungo's and Per-Percy spent the entire trip there lecturing Bill on how you should never open parcels and mail if you don't know what's in them and he should have got someone to cast a detection charm on it first." Nobody mentioned how he stumbled on Percy's name, but Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, and Fred smiled gratefully at her.

"We should make something like that for the joke shop," George said thoughtfully. He saw Luna frown and quickly shook his head at her. "We'd make it less dangerous, so that no one would be hurt, but maybe something with hats could work."

**Harry laughed but didn't voice the amazement he felt at hearing about other wizarding schools. He supposed, now that he saw representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite, that he had been stupid never to realize that Hogwarts couldn't be the only one.**

**He glanced at Hermione, who looked utterly unsurprised by the information. No doubt she had run across the news about other wizarding schools in some book or other.**

"Are you sure your memory isn't eidetic?" Remus asked, almost desperately and Hermione grinned.

"Nope, I just enjoy reading and learning things, so I take it all in easily."

**"You've been ages," said George when they finally got back to the Weasleys' tents.**

**"Met a few people," said Ron, setting the water down. "You've not got that fire started yet?"**

**"Dad's having fun with the matches," said Fred.**

There were a few chuckles and Sirius shook his head. He could remember being sceptical of Muggle things when he was younger, not sure how they worked without magic. He still didn't really get it now.

**Mr. Weasley was having no success at all in lighting the fire, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Splintered matches littered the ground around him, but he looked as though he was having the time of his life.**

"Arthur is like a big child," smiled Remus. "We need more people like him in the wizarding world."

"He sounds nice. Not being horrible, but your mum kind of sounds scary." Neville said apologetically.

"She is scary. I thought she looked like a sabre-tooth tiger when I first met her, but she's also really brilliant." Harry said cheerily and the Weasleys all beamed at them both.

**"Oops!" he said as he managed to light a match and promptly dropped it in surprise.**

**"Come here, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione kindly, taking the box from him, and showing him how to do it properly.**

**At last they got the fire lit, though it was at least another hour before it was hot enough to cook anything. **

Remus frowned. He wasn't sure what time it was, but it had to be late, didn't it? Actually, he thought it had been evening when they arrived…

**There was plenty to watch while they waited, however. Their tent seemed to be pitched right alongside a kind of thoroughfare to the field, and Ministry members kept hurrying up and down it, greeting Mr. Weasley cordially as they passed. Mr. Weasley kept up a running commentary, mainly for Harry's and Hermione's benefit; his own children knew too much about the Ministry to be greatly interested.**

Pansy and Draco nodded in agreement. "After a while, you sort of just get bored of it. Nothing really interesting happens anyway, it's all schemes and bribery." Pansy shrugged.

"I don't know," Draco said slowly, catching everyone's attention. "It might not be interesting, but it can be useful. If you need information or a favour, then knowing who's easily bribed or who's in the best position to lend a hand is always helpful. It might help in the war."

Narcissa smiled proudly at her son and winked at Sirius. Everyone had been too busy looking gobsmacked at Draco to see Narcissa, but Sirius caught the look and felt hopeful.

"Very Slytherin of you," he said to Draco, and Harry thought it sounded like a compliment.

**"That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office… Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now… **

"That's an interesting fashion statement," said Luna.

**Hello, Arnie… Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator - member of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, you know… and that's Bode and Croaker… they're Unspeakables…"**

**"They're what?"**

**"From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to…"**

Harry looked up at Sirius curiously when he felt him tense at the sentence. Remus looked wide-eyed at Sirius who relaxed quickly and grinned at Harry. It wouldn't do for anyone to get suspicious.

**At last, the fire was ready, and they had just started cooking eggs and sausages when Bill, Charlie, and Percy came strolling out of the woods toward them.**

**"Just Apparated, Dad," said Percy loudly. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"**

"Show off," growled Fred angrily.

**They were halfway through their plates of eggs and sausages when Mr. Weasley jumped to his feet, waving and grinning at a man who was striding toward them.**

**"Aha!" he said. "The man of the moment! Ludo!"**

**Ludo Bagman was easily the most noticeable person Harry had seen so far, even including old Archie in his flowered nightdress. **

Most people winced, because whatever he was wearing probably wouldn't help keep the Muggles from being suspicious-not if it was more obvious than a grown man walking around in the middle of the day wearing a flowery woman's nightgown.

**He was wearing long Quidditch robes in thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous picture of a wasp was splashed across his chest. **

"Surely he should be supporting one of the teams colours, not his own?" Neville looked confused.

**He had the look of a powerfully built man gone slightly to seed; the robes were stretched tightly across a large belly he surely had not had in the days when he had played Quidditch for England. His nose was squashed (probably broken by a stray Bludger, Harry thought), but his round blue eyes, short blond hair, and rosy complexion made him look like a very overgrown schoolboy.**

"That's exactly what he is," said Fred and George together. They were still angry that Bagman had run off with their money, but they had enough to start their business properly now, so they tried to focus on that whenever they felt the urge to track the git down.

**"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking as though he had springs attached to the balls of his feet and was plainly in a state of wild excitement.**

"Anyone would be, in his position!"

**"Arthur, old man," he puffed as he reached the campfire, "what a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming… and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements… Not much for me to do!"**

**Behind him, a group of haggard-looking Ministry wizards rushed past, pointing at the distant evidence of some sort of a magical fire that was sending violet sparks twenty feet into the air.**

**Percy hurried forward with his hand outstretched. Apparently his disapproval of the way Ludo Bagman ran his department did not prevent him from wanting to make a good impression.**

"Suck up," growled George and Fred smiled slightly at his brother.

**"Ah - yes," said Mr. Weasley, grinning, "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry - and this is Fred - no, George, sorry - that's Fred - Bill, Charlie, Ron - my daughter, Ginny and Ron's friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."**

**Bagman did the smallest of double takes when he heard Harry's name, and his eyes performed the familiar flick upward to the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"I can see why that would get tiring after a while." Said Narcissa softly, feeling sympathy for the poor boy.

**"Everyone," Mr. Weasley continued, "this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets -"**

**Bagman beamed and waved his hand as if to say it had been nothing.**

**"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" he said eagerly, jingling what seemed to be a large amount of gold in the pockets of his yellow-and-black robes.**

"Now that is not a good idea," Remus frowned. "Bagman's always had trouble with money, although he seems to have had some luck if he managed to get you those tickets."

**"I've already got Roddy Pontner betting me Bulgaria will score first - I offered him nice odds, considering Ireland's front three are the strongest I've seen in years - and little Agatha Timms has put up half shares in her eel farm on a weeklong match."**

**"Oh… go on then," said Mr. Weasley. **

"Dad's lucky Mum never found out about that, she hates gambling." Ron grinned at the twins, who flipped him off in sync. Hermione let out an outraged sound and waved her wand menacingly at them both.

"I read a spell on how to stick your fingers together for a couple of weeks, do that again and ill test it on you."

The twins shrank back from her glare.

**"Let's see… a Galleon on Ireland to win?"**

**"A Galleon?" Ludo Bagman looked slightly disappointed, but recovered himself. "Very well, very well… any other takers?"**

**"They're a bit young to be gambling," said Mr. Weasley. "Molly wouldn't like -"**

**"We'll bet thirty-seven Galleons, fifteen Sickles, three Knuts," said Fred as he and George quickly pooled all their money, "that Ireland wins - but Viktor Krum gets the Snitch.** **Oh and we'll throw in a fake wand."**

"Jesus Christ! That was a bit of a risk, wasn't it? Was that all you had?" Sirius frowned as the twins exchanged dark looks.

"Yeah, that was all our savings, but it would have been worth it." Fred said.

"We guessed it right, and we would have won a lot of money back from it, if Bagman hadn't been in so much debt." George added angrily.

**"You don't want to go showing Mr. Bagman rubbish like that," Percy hissed, but Bagman didn't seem to think the wand was rubbish at all; on the contrary, his boyish face shone with excitement as he took it from Fred, and when the wand gave a loud squawk and turned into a rubber chicken, Bagman roared with laughter.**

"I still think you need to be careful with those, but they are amazing." Hermione smiled, trying to cheer the twins up. It didn't seem right to see them without a smile on their faces.

**"Excellent! I haven't seen one that convincing in years! I'd pay five Galleons for that!"**

**Percy froze in an attitude of stunned disapproval.**

Pansy rolled her eyes, bored of the chapter already. She knew the next one was going to be dreadful, because she could cope with watching it and she disliked playing it, but just listening to a game of Quidditch being narrated sounded like her idea of hell.

**"Boys," said Mr. Weasley under his breath, "I don't want you betting… That's all your savings… Your mother -"**

"I don't get why you're not more upset!" Ron exclaimed. "You lost it all…" he stopped suddenly, thinking things through. "Who gave you money?" he asked shrewdly.

The twins looked at him in shock. "What?" asked Fred, flabbergasted.

"I've seen you talking to Mundungus over the summer and I know you're still making things because there are still explosions and stuff coming from your room. You wouldn't be able to invent anything new or test your old stuff without supplies and I know you two don't have a job, so someone must have given you money. Who was it?"

Now everyone was looking at Ron in shock, surprised at how smart he sounded. Hermione looked impressed and also a little annoyed that Ron had figured that out. She hadn't even known there_ was_ anything to figure out.

"We can't tell you who it is, little brother, so keep your surprisingly clever nose to yourself please!"

**"Don't be a spoilsport, Arthur!" boomed Ludo Bagman, rattling his pockets excitedly. "They're old enough to know what they want! You reckon Ireland will win but Krum'll get the Snitch? Not a chance, boys, not a chance… I'll give you excellent odds on that one… We'll add five Galleons for the funny wand, then, shall we…"**

**Mr. Weasley looked on helplessly as Ludo Bagman whipped out a notebook and quill and began jotting down the twins' names.**

**"Cheers," said George, taking the slip of parchment Bagman handed him and tucking it away into the front of his robes. **

**Bagman turned most cheerfully back to Mr. Weasley.**

**"Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite number's making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barty'll be able to sort it out. He speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."**

Harry grimaced at the mention of Crouch, thinking of the last time he'd seen him. He tried not to feel too much sympathy for the man, but it was hard when he thought about how much pressure Crouch must have been under, to keep his family safe and keep fighting for the light side. Not to mention how he'd died…

**"Mr. Crouch?" said Percy, suddenly abandoning his look of poker-stiff disapproval and positively writhing with excitement. "He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll…"**

"I can speak mermish!" Blaise said excitedly. Draco looked amused at his friends excitement for all of about two seconds until he added, "And Draco can speak troll in the mornings when he's just woken up, or when he has a hangover."

Draco seized a cushion from behind him and wacked it across Blaise's face, wiping the smirking expression from it. He ignored his so-called-best-friends' yelps of pain and whining in favour of waving at Cedric like a wild person, refusing to meet his mother's eye.

"Could you just read Diggory?" _Before my darling mother asks when exactly I had a hangover, _he added in his head.

**"Anyone can speak Troll," said Fred dismissively. "All you have to do is point and grunt."**

**Percy threw Fred an extremely nasty look and stoked the fire vigorously to bring the kettle back to the boil.**

**"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked as Bagman settled himself down on the grass beside them all.**

The atmosphere grew somewhat somber as everyone thought of Bertha. Only a few in the room knew what actually had happened to her, but the rest knew of her death, and it was a sobering thought.

**"Not a dicky bird," said Bagman comfortably. "But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha… memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction.**

Narcissa shook her head, as did Sirius and Remus. They all remembered her from their years at Hogwarts, and though she wasn't very good with direction, she had a memory to rival Hermione's.

**Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."**

**"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr. Weasley suggested tentatively as Percy handed Bagman his tea.**

"Wait, who is this Bertha Jorkins? Or does it explain in the book?" Cedric wasn't sure why everyone looked so sad at that, but he couldn't remember anyone mentioning her while he was…oh.

"Never mind, I'll find out later." He carried on reading before anyone could interrupt, not sure what to think about his death or coming back.

**"Barty Crouch keeps saying that," said Bagman, his round eyes widening innocently, "but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh - talk of the devil! Barty!"**

"Oh here we go," Harry muttered, really not wanting to read about Crouch.

**A wizard had just Apparated at their fireside, and he could not have made more of a contrast with Ludo Bagman, sprawled on the grass in his old Wasp robes.**

"Yes, quite a strange pair, they have very little in common," Remus said, almost to himself. Crouch probably went out of his mind working with Ludo.

**Barty Crouch was a stiff, upright, elderly man, dressed in an impeccably crisp suit and tie. The parting in his short gray hair was almost unnaturally straight, and his narrow toothbrush mustache looked as though he trimmed it using a slide rule. His shoes were very highly polished. Harry could see at once why Percy idolized him. Percy was a great believer in rigidly following rules, and Mr. Crouch had complied with the rule about Muggle dressing so thoroughly that he could have passed for a bank manager; Harry doubted even Uncle Vernon would have spotted him for what he really was.**

"Bloody hell Harry, do you have to notice quite so much?" Cedric asked, grinning a little crookedly at Harry, who shrugged and turned red. Cedric wasn't sure if it was the comment or the grin that did it, but it annoyed Malfoy either way, so he didn't care. He was enjoying this!

**"Pull up a bit of grass, Barry," said Ludo brightly, patting the ground beside him.**

"Yeah right, like he'd mingle with the commoners!" Sirius said mockingly, casting a glare at the book.

**"No thank you, Ludo," said Crouch, and there was a bite of impatience in his voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."**

**"Oh is that what they're after?" said Bagman. "I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent."**

Several people snorted at his idiocy, though Harry had to admit it was quite hard to understand the Bulgarians sometimes. Luckily, the only one he'd really talked to was Krum, so he never ended up doing something quite as stupid as Bagman.

**"Mr. Crouch!" said Percy breathlessly, sunk into a kind of halfbow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"**

The Weasleys all made bitter noises and everyone looked mildly disgusted at Percy's behaviour.

**"Oh," said Mr. Crouch, looking over at Percy in mild surprise. "Yes - thank you, Weatherby."**

There was an outburst of laughter and the twins and Ron grinned viciously. Obviously the hero-worship bordering on obsession did not go both ways then.

"I love how Crouch knows over two hundred languages, but apparently he doesn't know his own assistants name." Draco grinned and everyone started laughing again.

**Fred and George choked into their own cups. Percy, very pink around the ears, busied himself with the kettle.**

**"Oh and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur," said Mr. Crouch, his sharp eyes falling upon Mr. Weasley. "Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets."**

**Mr. Weasley heaved a deep sigh.**

"I've been on a flying carpet once." Luna piped up. Harry looked up in surprise; she had been very quiet.

"Really? That's lucky Luna, I wish I could go on one, although I'll probably just stick to brooms," said Harry, when everyone else kept quiet. He could see Hermione rolling her eyes at the blonde girl and even though it didn't surprise him, it still annoyed him.

Luna beamed at him.

**"I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle Artifact by the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects, but will he listen?"**

**"I doubt it," said Mr. Crouch, accepting a cup from Percy. "He's desperate to export here."**

"Brooms are so much better!" Agreements echoed around the room and Cedric had to raise his voice to be heard over them.

**"Well, they'll never replace brooms in Britain, will they?" said Bagman.**

**"Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle," said Mr. Crouch. "I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve - but that was before carpets were banned, of course."**

**He spoke as though he wanted to leave nobody in any doubt that all his ancestors had abided strictly by the law.**

"I don't think it's your ancestors you have to worry about." Harry said darkly, thinking of the young man with the snake-like tongue in Moody's office.

**"So, been keeping busy, Barty?" said Bagman breezily.**

**"Fairly," said Mr. Crouch dryly. "Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo."**

**"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" said Mr. Weasley.**

**Ludo Bagman looked shocked.**

**"Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun… Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"**

**Mr. Crouch raised his eyebrows at Bagman.**

**"We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details -"**

**"Oh details!" said Bagman, waving the word away like a cloud of midges. **

**"They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed, haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts -"**

Harry clenched his jaw and Sirius looked down at him worriedly. That tournament, he thought, was probably the biggest cock-up Dumbledore made so far. There was no need to have it at Hogwarts, where a lot of students were in danger. They could have placed guards around the cup at all times, used more magical protection. Surely Dumbledore or someone noticed something up with Mad-Eye?

**"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know," said Mr. Crouch sharply, cutting Bagman's remarks short. "Thank you for the tea, Weatherby."**

A couple of people giggled again, but the mood had gone down somewhat at the mention of the tournament.

**He pushed his undrunk tea back at Percy and waited for Ludo to rise; Bagman struggled to his feet, swigging down the last of his tea, the gold in his pockets chinking merrily.**

**"See you all later!" he said. "You'll be up in the Top Box with me -**

Sirius mumbled something about it being unfair and Harry smiled at how much he sounded like a toddler.

"We'll go next time, Sirius, once you're free and all this is over, we can go and watch it."

**I'm commentating!" He waved, Barty Crouch nodded curtly, and both of them Disapparated.**

**"What's happening at Hogwarts, Dad?" said Fred at once. "What were they talking about?"**

**"You'll find out soon enough," said Mr. Weasley, smiling.**

**"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it," said Percy stiffly. "Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."**

**"Oh shut up, Weatherby," said Fred.**

Everyone laughed and Fred stood up to take a bow. Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged him back down again, feeling heat rise in her cheeks when he sat down much closer to her than before.

**A sense of excitement rose like a palpable cloud over the campsite as the afternoon wore on. By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretence disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.**

"I wish I could have gone," muttered Neville wistfully. Sirius looked round at him and grinned.

"You can come with us, Harry's going to buy tickets and we're going to-"

"Oi! I said nothing about buying tickets, thank you very much. But yeah, you can come too Neville, we'll convince your Gran." He smiled at the boy and ignored Sirius's whining in favour of watching Neville turn a happy red colour.

**Salesmen were Apparating every few feet, carrying trays and pushing carts full of extraordinary merchandise. There were luminous rosettes - green for Ireland, red for Bulgaria - which were squealing the names of the players, pointed green hats bedecked with dancing shamrocks, Bulgarian scarves adorned with lions that really roared,**

"Red and green, Gryffindor and Slytherin. It should be a vicious match then!" said Sirius happily.

"Vicious is definitely the word for it," Hermione scowled. "And I mean that in both cases; you should see those two in the school matches." She pointed at Harry and Draco accusingly, who both spluttered and then looked sheepishly at their respective guardian. Sirius laughed and Narcissa rolled her eyes.

**flags from both countries that played their national anthems as they were waved; there were tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves.**

**"Been saving my pocket money all summer for this," Ron told Harry as they and Hermione strolled through the salesmen, buying souvenirs. Though Ron purchased a dancing shamrock hat and a large green rosette, he also bought a small figure of Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. The miniature Krum walked backward and forward over Ron's hand, scowling up at the green rosette above him.**

Hermione gave him A Look and Harry had to hide a grin behind his hands. He thought these fights were stupid, but no one could look at Ron's face, which was part-irritated and part-sheepish, and not find it entertaining.

**"Wow, look at these!" said Harry, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like brass binoculars, except that they were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.**

**"Omnioculars," said the saleswizard eagerly. "You can replay action… slow everything down… and they flash up a play-by- play breakdown if you need it. Bargain - ten Galleons each."**

**"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Ron, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.**

**"Three pairs," said Harry firmly to the wizard.**

Ron turned red and sunk down in the chair, not wanting to see any pitying expressions, even though no one except the twins were looking at him. Fred and George looked at each other and came to a silent agreement to have a few words with Ron later.

**"No - don't bother," said Ron, going red. He was always touchy about the fact that Harry, who had inherited a small fortune from his parents, had much more money than he did.**

There was an uncomfortable silence before Harry sighed. Ron looked up at the sound and caught Harry's eye and, catching onto the tension in the room, just snorted and rolled his eyes until Cedric started reading. Honestly, it bothered him more that they never had enough money to go around, not that his friend had more than him.

**"You won't be getting anything for Christmas," Harry told him, thrusting Omnioculars into his and Hermione's hands. "For about ten years, mind."**

"Let me guess Potter, you bought them presents anyway?" Draco tried to put a sneer into his voice, but it just sounded amused more than anything. Harry's eyes widened innocently behind his glasses before he grinned and nodded.

**"Fair enough," said Ron, grinning.**

**"Oooh, thanks, Harry," said Hermione. "And I'll get us some programs, look -"**

**Their money bags considerably lighter, they went back to the tents. Bill, Charlie, and Ginny were all sporting green rosettes too, and Mr. Weasley was carrying an Irish flag. Fred and George had no souvenirs as they had given Bagman all their gold.**

"It kind of serves you right, you probably should have saved some of it," Hermione shrugged when Fred adopted a hurt look, but nudged him in the side so that he'd stop, because honestly, he shouldn't be allowed to look so much like a kicked puppy.

**And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.**

**"It's time!" said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"**

"Finally! My turn, my turn!" shouted Sirius, excited to get to read about the match. He reached for the book, but just as it touched his hands, there was a buzzing sound and the book disappeared. He let out a cry of dismay, which was quickly echoed by the others, but a series of pops interrupted them and Harry grabbed the paper that floated down from the ceiling. Doors appeared all over the walls and several people jumped in shock, Neville falling right off of his chair.

Harry ignored the chaos and cleared his throat loudly, waving the paper about to get everyone's attention before he began to read.

* * *

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